Strictly Taboo
by chelseatygers
Summary: An old love comes back into Inuyasha's life with a strange request.
1. I'd Do Anything For You, Dear

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are a few things you need to know before you read this. 1) Myoga is person-sized in this. Also, I don't know how the business world works and that is painfully obvious. 2) This story is a festival of clichés. It is not a songfic, I just got bored and added some songs I thought went with each chapter as I was rereading what I wrote. 3) As soon as I started writing it, I wanted to finish it. By that, I mean I got so bored with it straight away that I couldn't flippin' wait for it to be over with. I could have just abandoned it, but I finish what I start. Abandoning a story is a mortal sin as far as I'm concerned (talking to you, Shrine Prostitute and Movie House Hanyou. SERIOUSLY?! ENDING ON A CLIFF HANGER AND THEN DISCONTINUING?! WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!). So I just rushed through it as fast as I could, no character development or editing or real thinking or anything. But I've noticed those three normally essential components to any written work are not required when writing fan fiction, as long as you make up for it with butt sex or something. 4) There are so many sex scenes here that I got bored with sex scenes. 5) I do not hate Kikyo, but she was the only one I could think of to play the part. I could have created an OC, but no one gives a shit about OC's. I know I hate them. 6) This story makes me want to apologize to my family about a thousand times just because I actually fucking created this plot, which is really just a cross between Belinda and Lolita and some other stuff. 7) I will not demand reviews. Ever. That's incredibly fuckin' lame. 8) Feel free to "flame" me. I personally don't feel offended when someone is not happy with my work. If some 12-year-old kid thinks naked people are gross and kissing is yucky and I'm a gross yucky bitch whore cunt dyke for writing this, then whatevs. It's the internet, you can do what you want. 9) It's pretty perverted and badly written, so if numbers 1-8 did not convince you, pleasepleaseplease listen to me now and don't read it. I'm only posting this because it could hit the spot for some, but this definitely will not appeal to most people and you probably shouldn't read any further than this incredibly long note which you have all just skipped over. Well, I warned you.**

Inuyasha Taisho sat at his large wooden desk, thumbing through the random files fanned out on its surface, attempting to kill time before his next meeting. He toyed with the idea of stalking through the lower floors, terrorizing the employees with his mere presence. He decided against it, not having enough time to intimidate the poor men and women who worked for him to his satisfaction. The half-demon went back to his files, seeing the words without reading them, when the phone rang and he jumped. Usually all calls went to his secretary, as he did not hand out his personal office number to anyone. That narrowed it down to about three people, and at this time of day it could be only one. He sighed and picked up the phone on the third ring, suppressing a roll of his eyes.

"What now, Jaken?"

There was the sound of heavy mouth breathing and then, "How did you know it was me, half-breed?"

"You're one of three people who have this number and the other two know not to bother me. Plus you call every other week at the same fucking time, you idiot. Just get the rant over with."

"Hmmph. I just thought you should know that Tenseiga Corp. is now the third most profitable weapons manufacturer in the world. A half-demon like you could never understand the dedication and care a great demon like Lord Sesshomaru possesses to—"

"Yeah, uh-huh, that's wonderful. Riddle me this, toad midget, if Tenseiga is so great, why does my oh-so-amazing half-brother keep trying to take control of Tetsusaiga International?"

"You—you do not understand the complex workings of Lord Sesshomaru's mind! As the eldest son, the only legitimate son, Tetsusaiga was his by rights and he is generously allowing you to expand it until he feels like taking his rightful place as head of both companies—"

"And ruler of the world, yeah, yeah, I got you. Same time next week, alright?"

Inuyasha hung up on Jaken's shrieks, smirking at the phone. He looked at his desk clock and sighed. He still had another half-hour to kill before his meeting, the purpose of which he forgot to verify with his secretary, Myoga. It was hardly a rare occurrence.

He heard the familiar sputtering of his perpetually nervous secretary and suddenly the door to his office opened and was quickly shut, locking the little man out. His anger at being interrupted from doing nothing quickly faded into shock when he saw the woman standing in his office, leaning her palm against the door.

_Kikyo._

Kikyo Higurashi. She was the only woman he had ever loved in all his long, long life. He had proposed to her early on in their courtship, despite her family's objections, and they had even gone so far as to set a date before she decided to break his heart. She had left him on New Year's Day nearly two decades ago and he had lived his life alone ever since.

They stared at each other, neither of them speaking, just studying. Kikyo was forty now, he did the math in his head as he took in her appearance. She looked like a youthful thirty, her skin smooth and her hair still long and lush. She was still beautiful and somehow that upset him.

"You don't look a day over twenty, Inuyasha. Exactly the same. Somehow, I thought…" she trailed off and turned her eyes to the floor. He could feel her sorrow radiating from her.

"What do you want, Kikyo?" His words came out rougher than he intended and he flinched.

"Not much, maybe just the ability to stop time." She gave him a small smile which he did not return. Sighing, she got down to business.

"The meeting you're about to attend is with a representative from my company. I know you're going to turn down his offer of acquiring Shikon, so I came to make you a different one. Marry me, Inuyasha." Her serious eyes bored into him, through him, confusing him.

"If you're just going to talk nonsense then you can get the fuck out," he hissed, remembering old wounds.

"I'm not talking about love, Inuyasha, although I never did manage to get over you completely," she confessed in a quiet, steady voice. "I'm talking about something more important. My business, Shikon Medical Equipment, is failing. I believe someone is sabotaging it, stealing our contracts and leaking our designs. I don't have much time left and I have a young daughter. You are the only one I trust anymore, Inuyasha, and Tetsusaiga is too big to fail."

"Kikyo… What do you mean that—that you don't have much time left?" His anger had faded steadily through her speech and all he wanted now was to heal the pain he glimpsed in her large, beautifully-shaped gray eyes.

"I have breast cancer. I've been told it is inoperable. I was given fourteen months to live a little over half a year ago. I need you to save my business and take care of my daughter when I'm gone. Please, Inuyasha," she begged, "I have no one else."

"What about Onigumo?" he asked, somewhat sullenly. Kikyo had left him for some guy named Onigumo, telling him some bullshit story about her loving him but not being willing to spend her life with anyone of demonic descent. Most priestesses were like that, prejudiced against his kind, but he had thought her to be different.

"I was getting to that," she sighed yet again and sat down at the large leather chair in front of his desk, somehow sinking into it silently when with anyone else it made the most outrageous, embarrassing noises. "Shortly after I left you for him, he started to keep company with a bad crowd, all demons. They somehow turned him into a half-demon; he never told me why or the process involved. We fought and he became violent, and I left him. I am now committed to a man, Suikotsu, and we were going to marry but his brothers objected. Suikotsu is gentle and sweet, but he is weak when it concerns his brothers and they are a terrible bunch. I don't want Kagome mixed up in all that. Sorry for getting off-track, but I want you to understand what my life is like now."

He nodded. "And who is Kagome again?"

"My daughter. She's still so young and I don't want her to suffer with any of this knowledge of the failing business or my impending death. I want our remaining time together to be natural, not sad and forced."

He wanted to take her hand and murmur soothing things, something, anything. Instead he stared at the messy surface of his desk, silent, feeling her eyes on him.

"Have you arrived at an answer yet or would you like some time to think it over? I know this is a great lot to ask, but please be aware I would not request this of you if I did not believe it to be the best way," she said in a gravely urgent voice.

Kikyo. The only woman he could neither comprehend nor forget. Although he did not feel the way he once did, he would always be fond of her. She held a special place in his heart above all others, nearly equaling his mother in terms of his affection. He didn't even need to think about it, he simply answered, "Yes. I will do this for you, Kikyo."

"Oh, Inuyasha," she said softly, eyes glittering. "Thank you, truly. You do not know how good you are."

"It's okay, Kikyo," he muttered, wishing he had more profound and meaningful words.

She stood, graceful as always, and said, "I don't need to tell you not to let anyone, even my company's representative, know about what we discussed today, do I, Inuyasha?"

"Of course not, Kikyo. Let me walk you out."

She gave him a small smile and he took her arm, leading her toward the door where his secretary was still yelling and hammering.


	2. Want It Back

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just to let you know, this story has already been completed. I'll be updating every Monday and Friday. Also, this is gonna get hecka nasty super soon, so if you're young and/or you are a moral and/or ethical person, you're gonna wanna jump ship. The chapters are super short because I was supposed to head back and expand them, but yeah that's never going to happen so enjoy.**

***Song for the chapter: Want It Back by Amanda Palmer and the Grand Theft Orchestra***

Inuyasha accepted the offer from Shikon's representative, not even allowing the bald little man time enough to finish the proposal. There was a surprised look on the executive's face and he bowed many times, offering to go over the particulars with him while trying and failing to hide his smile with his hands, like some sort of absurdly wrinkled child. Inuyasha directed the old man to one of his nameless employees and took his leave of them, mind full with thoughts of Kikyo. Heading back to his office for his briefcase, he ignored all greetings and friendly nods, grunting in annoyance whenever someone walked in front of him or too close.

"Sir, Mrs. Higurashi left her contact information here for you," Myoga said, obviously perturbed. He had known Inuyasha all his life and had never liked Kikyo, resenting the importance he placed on her. Inuyasha flinched; he had forgotten to ask Kikyo for her number. Thankfully, she always remembered what he didn't.

"She's not a missus, Myoga," he muttered sullenly. _Not yet, anyway_, he thought.

He entered his office, clutching the thick, expensive smelling piece of paper with Kikyo's writing on it. She had given only one number, her home one. Scanning the paper, he saw that it was the same one she had been using during their engagement. Stuffing the sheet into his briefcase, he resolved to focus on the present and helping Kikyo. She needed him, and he would be there for her. Once again, she was his purpose.

All he could think about on the drive home was her. The good memories, the bad memories, the former now taking precedence in his mind, although they were few. They had met when she was just twenty-one, a recently orphaned girl suddenly in charge of a large family business. She had been somewhat sheltered growing up, almost spoiled, but she quickly learned the ways of her trade and ruled the company with an iron fist, taking it from national to international. It was this strength and determination that had first attracted him to her. They ran in the same circles, although up until her inheritance she had not gotten out much.

It took quite a while to win her over, as she came from a family of traditional priestesses and priests, her aunts and uncles disapproving of his presence and commanding her to cease associating with him. However, this only fueled their desire to be together, and they were together all the time. Kikyo was a mystery, incomprehensible to him. She was quiet, something about her always untouchable, like she was always holding a part of herself back, even when they made love. This, of course, drove him absolutely crazy and made him want her all the more.

He had proposed to her a month after her twenty-fourth birthday, in the middle of June, taking her out into the woods on some property he owned. He led her to the Goshinboku, the oldest tree in the country. She loved it there. They had sat in silence together, embracing, content with just each other's presence for hours. Then came New Year's Eve. Or Day. He wasn't quite sure, as she had ended it right as the countdown was at "one" and he leaned in for a kiss. She had turned her face to the side and murmured, "I'm in love with someone else", effectively breaking his heart and their engagement with just those few words.

Life was not the same after that. He couldn't even return to how he had been before he had met her. Even after she had broken down into tears and confessed that she still loved him soon after their break-up, the damage had been done. He would not take her back. He made sure she could never contact him after that, and eventually she stopped trying.

Inuyasha thought back to the business he had just acquired, again stopping himself from reliving the past. Kikyo's family was full of powerful priestesses and priests, their focus being on healing. A hundred years ago, they started channeling their spiritual powers into medical equipment and their business expanded rapidly, making the Higurashi family quite wealthy in just one generation.

Testsusaiga International, on the other hand, had begun in the 16th century, trading silk and precious metals and spices with Europeans. His father had started it after realizing that the world was expanding and changing and demons had better get with it or face dying out. Toga had left the business to him when he was just ten years old, knowing he was dying from wounds sustained while battling a rival in demonic trade. His mother followed a few years later and he took care of himself from then on, eventually becoming known as a ruthless businessman. Needless to say, he had quite a bit more money than the average human, even the average demon, but he hardly touched it, only continuing with his work to keep some part of his parents alive.

Tetsusaiga still dealt with shipping, but he also owned restaurants and construction companies and airlines and markets. And that was still just the parent company. There were many subsidiaries for all sorts of different things that even he couldn't name off the top of his head.

His brother, Sesshomaru, had always resented that Inuyasha inherited anything at all from their father and continually made attempts on his life from the day his mother died. He had learned to fight and guard himself. Life had taught him how to outsmart his competition and be two steps ahead of them, usually succeeding in everything he tried because demons underestimated half-demons and humans feared them.

In recent years, however, half-demons had become somewhat more prevalent, a couple becoming actors, a few politicians here and there, and even one Nobel Prize winner. It was for literature, but still, it counted. Prejudice against half-demons was hardly even heard of anymore, except among certain demon communities like the one his brother Sesshomaru belonged to. It was even something of a preferred race now, with humans admiring their life-span and athleticism and demons appreciating their softer sensibilities and willingness to be a bridge between two extremes. He could now walk the street in the daylight and be jostled along with the rest of the crowd like any ordinary Joe. He both marveled at it and detested it.

A month after Kikyo had left him, he decided to move on and start seeing other people. While he couldn't bring himself to do that just yet, he thought it would be a good idea to build himself a family home, a place he could carry his future bride over the threshold and raise their children. Plus, he was tired of paying rent. He had more than enough money, but he forgot half the time and landlords were always at his door.

He cleared a part of his forest himself, mostly the area around the Goshinboku. He toyed with the idea of tearing that down as well, it holding so many bittersweet memories, but he liked the tree and would not give Kikyo that kind of power over his choices. Using wood from the trees he had felled with his bare claws, he built a large, open house. Well, he didn't actually build the house, that kind of labor being beyond his skills, but he did design it and furnish the materials so it was mostly his creation.

The years went by and he didn't encounter anyone who made him feel even a fraction of the way Kikyo had. Inuyasha gradually came to the conclusion that a family was just not something he could have, and without noticing it swore off relationships and threw himself into his work with an energy he had not possessed since right after his mother passed. He still had sex; oral sex, anyway. Women all seemed like manipulative, traitorous shrews to him now, and he hardly wanted to be near them let alone inside one. He did have needs, however, and there was no shortage of office sluts willing to suck off the boss.

He arrived at the long driveway belonging to his home, the memories flying from his head as though they hadn't even been there in the first place. Clutching his briefcase, he jogged to the front door, wondering whether to call Kikyo now or later. Giddiness rose up in him. Now that he had something new, he didn't quite know how to act or feel. Inuyasha was incredibly sad that Kikyo was dying, but he had learned that humans tended to do that so he was not as shocked or grief-filled as another human would be. He didn't want to appear eager, as though he was still in love with her, but he did really want to know about the wedding arrangements and how to help her business and, eventually, the details of her last will and testament.

That last thought stopped him in his tracks and he practically ripped open his briefcase, grabbing the piece of paper with her phone number on it. Time seemed so limited now. He dialed it quickly into his cellphone, one hand clenching and unclenching. Finally, she picked up on the third ring.

"Inuyasha. Did everything go well during the meeting with my Shikon representative?"

"Yes, Kikyo, I accepted and everything."

"That's good."

Silence was Kikyo's way of asking what he had called for. Inuyasha tried to think of how to put his feelings into words, to communicate what he wanted her to know.

"Why don't you join me for dinner tonight?"

Surprised, although he knew he shouldn't be, he didn't answer at first. Kikyo had never invited him anywhere before. She would dictate where they went on dates, almost demanding he take her where she wanted to go, but her tone was always so soft he did not mind.

"Uh, sure. What time?"

"We dine at seven. It's the same old house, you remember where it is. I'm looking forward to talking to you some more, Inuyasha. Goodbye."

He murmured a farewell and hung up. Seven. He had about an hour to get ready and go. Remembering how Kikyo liked things just so, he traveled to his room and opened the closet, pushing back the disorganized mass of clothes until he got to the very back, where he kept the suits he had worn while courting her. He sighed and shook the dust off her favorite. His life was about to get a whole lot more difficult. The thought made him grin.


	3. Scream of the Butterfly

***Song for the chapter: Scream of the Butterfly by Acid Bath***

The sun was just beginning to set when he arrived at the sprawling, three-story mansion. It needed a new coat of paint and the wood was rotting in several places, its overall appearance a far cry from what it had been when he had visited before. Inuyasha stood at the front door, combing his hair back with his claws, trying to get it to stay flat in front. He began to put his hair up in a knot, remembering how much Kikyo liked neat appearances, but stopped himself. The old suit and the hairstyle she preferred put together would be too much. They were no longer a real couple. It would be good if he reminded himself of that as often as he could to avoid slipping into old habits.

As he reached out to ring the bell, the door flung open. He jumped back a step, startled, and out from the house came a young Kikyo, younger even than when he had known her. She wore some sort of school uniform and he stared at her, stunned, not quite believing his eyes.

"You're him! We've been waiting for you. I'm so excited!" The girl smiled brightly and took his hand, shaking it gently yet enthusiastically. He was now positive this was not some sort of Kikyo clone standing before him, as this girl's voice was slightly higher than his former lover's and possessed a happy, musical quality to it. The mystery girl continued to hold his hand, dragging him inside the house and right into the parlor.

"Mother, your fiancée has arrived!" she sang out happily, her eyes never leaving his.

"Kagome, what have I told you about intercepting guests? I apologize, Inuyasha. She was told to wait upstairs. But she always was a willful child."

The girl dropped his hand quickly and looked guiltily in the direction of the floor, shoulders slumped. Inuyasha took a closer look at her. When Kikyo had mentioned she had a daughter, he had imagined a child, someone under the age of ten. This girl was in her mid-to-late teens but did have this sort of naïve air about her, appearing child-like but not childish. He had heard that raising teenagers was a terrible, terrible nightmare and he felt the beginnings of panic set in, trying to remember centuries back when he had been her age and coming up with nothing he could relate to her with, as he had already been head of a huge business and an accomplished warrior. What did teen girls like now? Crayons? Fishing? Sewing? All this flashed through his mind in about a second.

Kikyo came out of the hallway, breaking his reverie. She wore a flowing red dress and looked absolutely regal, her long, dark hair braided around her head like a crown. No jewelry decorated her body, but she had never really needed any to appear spectacular. The mere force of her presence was more than enough.

"Uh, it's no problem, Kikyo." The way she spoke to her daughter was making him feel uncomfortable.

"Nonsense. Apologize, Kagome," she said sternly, her gaze piercing as she looked at the young girl.

"I am very sorry, Father," she murmured with her head bowed. He could smell the tears starting.

"It's, um, it's really alright. Thank you for showing me inside, Kagome." He didn't know if he liked being called "father", but what the hell, he was going to be stuck as her guardian for a few more years so might as well.

"You are welcome, Father," the girl said gravely. He missed the refreshing exuberance she had possessed before. Now she appeared to be attempting to imitate Kikyo, and with her looking the way she did it really started to creep him out. One ice queen was enough. He could already tell she was a naturally happy, energetic girl.

"You are excused, Kagome."

Kagome shuffled toward the wide staircase, glancing back at him over her shoulder.

Inuyasha cleared his throat and asked, "Isn't your daughter going to be joining us?" The girl had been so happy. He hated to see her head off looking so defeated like some sort of beaten dog.

Kikyo turned her icy gaze on him. "It is Kagome's study time. She will have her supper after we are finished."

He leaned in close to whisper, "I think now would be a good time for the two of us to start getting used to each other, don't you?"

She appeared to be considering it and gave a small frown. "I suppose you're right. Kagome, go to your room and change into the dress you wear for company. You may join us after you have washed your face. Remember, no one wants to see a woman cry."

The girl made a sort of happy squeak sound and bolted up the stairs, slipping a bit with her socks on the thick wood floor, her excitement back full force despite the harshness of her mother's tone and words. Inuyasha stared after her, surprised at the interaction he had already observed between mother and daughter. He didn't care for Kikyo's stern manner with Kagome and wondered how the girl had managed to continue to be so naturally sweet when Kikyo seemed to be attempting to squash it out of her at every turn.

He felt a hand at his harm and turned to see his fiancée with a small smile on her face. She silently led him to the dining room, which was just as splendid as he had remembered it. It was a high-ceilinged room with Renaissance-style murals on the wall and a giant, solid wood table in the middle. The chandelier was missing a few bulbs but it didn't detract too much from the overall feel of the place. It was something that belonged in a museum, and a look at the dust settling over everything but the table made it seem as though it was in some sort of forgotten back room of one.

"Kagome does not know about Suikotsu and I would prefer to keep it that way, Inuyasha. I have been telling her about you all her life and she thinks of us as some couple in a fairy tale, reuniting after so long apart. And really, is that view so far off?"

He hummed and asked, "Why do you not want her to know about Suikotsu? 'Cause of his brothers?"

"Yes and no. Suikotsu was Kagome's first pediatrician and she developed this strange, unreasonable fear of him. That girl has always been difficult. She was so afraid of getting her vaccination shots that she created a story about him having some kind of other personality that enjoyed hurting children. She would throw these frightful tantrums before every check-up that no amount of punishment would stop and finally I gave in and took her to a different physician. She took to that one and Kaede still treats her to this day. I thought to re-introduce them earlier this year, but she still has nightmares about him. I just don't understand it," she complained, shaking her head sorrowfully.

"How long have the two of you been together, anyway?" he asked, mentally filing away the story she had told him.

"We've been exclusive for about seven years now. I do wish Kagome would get over her childish hysteria. It is so difficult having to meet in secret."

"She seems like a good girl, I'm sure things will work out," he said, trying to be helpful without taking sides.

"That really all depends on how you define 'good'. She is disobedient and lazy and does not even attempt to try and achieve scholastically. However, she is my daughter, and I will stop at nothing to make her a success," she said firmly, her eyes flashing.

"That's certainly… admirable," Inuyasha murmured, feeling awkward again. That girl did not seem like any of the things she had described her as, but really, who was he to say? He had met Kagome briefly not even five minutes before and Kikyo was her _mother_. She had carried her in her womb for nine months, raised her for years. How old was that child, anyway? He suddenly wanted to know exactly.

"Just so you are aware, Kagome decided to call you 'father' all on her own. I informed her you were to be addressed as Mr. Taisho, but she has always wanted a father in her life more than anything. I do apologize."

"Not at all. Er, so Kagome has never met her father?" Kikyo nodded and he continued, "Who…who is he?"

Her mouth curled upward in a small, humorless smile. "To be perfectly honest with you, I do not know. I was attempting to be rebellious and spent a wild winter in Europe, and then Kagome showed up in August. She was a couple months early, so rude and not even able to speak yet."

Inuyasha nodded, not believing her for a second. The father was Onigumo, she just didn't want to upset him and risk him terminating their deal. A wild winter in Europe? Please. Kikyo had never had a wild anything in her life. Kagome didn't look a thing like Onigumo, but then again she didn't really look like anyone but Kikyo.

"I'm finished, Mother!"

They both turned towards Kagome's voice, him guiltily and Kikyo as calm as ever. Kagome was in a dainty white dress, eyelets on the short puffed sleeves and edge of the skirt. The bright light from the vacated parlor shone behind her, highlighting the inky darkness of her hair and reflecting off like a halo. Inuyasha thought to himself that she looked like one of those Christmas angels you placed on top of the tree, the crowning ornament. She smiled a soft, genuine smile at him and his heart skipped a beat and then went very fast, almost like it was trying to make up for it.

"Kagome," Kikyo began, voice steely, "you know how to announce yourself when you enter a room. Now go out and do it again."

Some of the light left her eyes and his heart twinged as she left the room and reentered, saying softly, "Present, Mother. Present, Father."

"You are to call my guest Mr. Taisho. I went over and over this with you, why can't—"

"Actually, Kagome, you can call me anything you want." He had never before interrupted Kikyo, but the crestfallen look on Kagome's face just did something to his insides. He knew what it was like to long for a father.

Kagome glanced at him before looking to her mother as though asking permission. Kikyo's lips were pursed together tightly and Inuyasha feared he had overstepped his bounds, but then she waved her hand in a dismissive gesture and said, "You heard Inuyasha, Kagome. He is an adult and can do as he pleases."

Kagome glanced back at him and he saw that light shining in her eyes once again. He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, shoulders relaxing slightly as he did so. He knew Kikyo was a very proud woman and in the short time he had been at her home he had seen how strict she was with her daughter. Inuyasha knew contradicting her would not be the best of ideas, but he honestly did not approve of her parenting tactics. They were going to be married and that meant he had an equal part in bringing up Kagome. Right? Maybe a ready-made family wasn't quite what the doctor ordered. He shrugged mentally. He had nothing else going on and company would be nice.

Kikyo sat down stiffly at the head of the table and Inuyasha and Kagome followed, him sitting at her right and her daughter at her left. The table had been set with beautifully painted china dishes depicting different flowers, and he was sure the silverware was actually real, solid silver. He sat as rigidly as Kikyo, suddenly feeling like a peasant in the court of a queen. She had never made him this uncomfortable while they were dating. Kagome, however, could hardly hide her smile. He imagined her feet swinging back and forth carelessly under the table and his heart warmed, making him feel somewhat more at ease. Kikyo took her spoon and rapped sharply on Kagome's plate twice without even looking at her, the sound startling him, and Kagome immediately straightened, folded her hands in her lap, and turned her eyes downward to gaze at her empty plate.

"Urasue!" Kikyo called out icily, then turned to Inuyasha, saying softly, "I have foregone the salad course this evening. I remember how much you hate those."

Double doors at the far end of the room swung open and out shuffled an ancient woman, bent over with age. She rolled a cart in front of her, muttering unintelligibly. Her bugged out eyes rolled around in her head and Inuyasha suddenly lost his appetite, a truly rare occurrence.

The elderly servant pulled a lid off a large metal pot on the cart and somehow produced a ladle and three bowls from thin air. She served Kikyo first, her handling of the steaming hot bowl surprisingly quick and steady. Inuyasha was next and he gazed into the bowl at the soup. It was some sort of clear broth and had a single leafy thing floating around in it, probably spinach. He grimaced and set to work, wishing he could hold his nose so he wouldn't be able to taste it. He glanced up at Kikyo and saw her still sitting rigidly straight, bringing the spoon to her lips and consuming the liquid silently. Her eating habits had always unnerved him. It was like watching some sort of trick that belonged in a sideshow; the thing was just not natural. He suppressed a shudder and turned his eyes to Kagome. Unlike her mother, she ate with gusto, almost like she hadn't seen food in a week. He wondered how anyone could enjoy the bland yet disgusting soup so much, but then again Kagome seemed the type to either love or hate things with everything in her.

The meal continued in silence, Inuyasha feeling self-conscious and more embarrassed with every accidental slurp he made, Kikyo stoically gazing at the contents of her bowl and Kagome giving him a reassuring smile from time to time. Finally they were finished and the old hag came to collect their empty bowls. He moved to stand but Kikyo laid a hand on his wrist, eyes still on the table.

"It is time for the fish course, Inuyasha."

The words gave him a mini anxiety attack but he pushed it down, scooting his chair back closer to the table, wincing when it made a loud screech across the wood floor. Kagome giggled and he shot her an unamused glare, the half-smile on his face softening his eyes. Her happiness was contagious.

The doors slammed open again and Urasue wheeled out the same cart. She placed a cut of salmon in front of Kikyo and one in front of Inuyasha. It was garnished with a thin slice of lemon and a sprig of parsley. He sighed at how boring it all was. The old woman shuffled out, the doors closing behind her. He took a fork, hoping it was the right one, and dug into the fish. He placed the bite in his mouth and glanced up, noticing Kagome again sitting with her eyes cast down and her hands folded in her lap, no salmon dish in front of her. Inuyasha cleared his throat and broke the silence, saying, "Kikyo, your, uh, maid forgot Kagome's serving."

Kikyo slowly finished chewing and placed her fork down on the edge of her plate. "Kagome has been placed on a diet. She gained six pounds quite rapidly in this past month and her caloric intake has been cut."

Kagome's head bowed lower and he could practically feel the heat of her blush. He looked back and forth from Kikyo to the slim girl, vaguely wondering if this was some kind of dumb joke.

"She looks fine to me."

Kagome shot him a quick, grateful smile and his heart did that strange skipping-then-speeding-up thing again. Kikyo chuckled. "Inuyasha, you are too kind. You're going to give her a big head. With her height, Kagome needs to be exactly one-hundred pounds in order to be at her fittest and become captain of the archery team this year."

"I… I guess. Weren't you captain of the archery team when you went to school?" He was hoping to change the subject from this very awkward, very personal one to something safe.

"I'm surprised you remember," Kikyo said, obviously pleased. "Yes, we won every one of our competitions when I was captain. I led the team all four years of high school, the youngest captain in the school's history. No one's beat my record yet. I was hoping Kagome could have at least done the same, but unfortunately she has clumsy fingers, poor aim, and she detests practice."

Inuyasha nodded and took a large gulp of water while Kikyo went back to her food. He had completely lost his appetite and no longer wanted to eat even to be polite. His eyes fell on Kagome's hands which were still clasped in her lap. They were folded so tightly they were strikingly white, except for the pads of her first two fingers on each hand, which were bright red with the beginnings of blisters. He noticed her hands trembling even as she tried to hold them still. Inuyasha knew Kikyo only wanted the best for Kagome and wanted to make her outstanding to ensure her success in life, but Kagome was a delicate girl. It was already obvious to him that she would never be exactly what Kikyo wanted and she was very aware of it, that knowledge not stopping her from trying but still tearing her apart inside.

"How old are you, Kagome?"

"I turned fifteen in August," she spoke quietly, sounding slightly surprised at being addressed directly. She was a new fifteen since it was now early October. So young, he thought, his heart twinging again.

"And what do you want to be when you grow up?"

The girl glanced quickly at her mother who was still silently eating, and she whispered her response so quietly that he almost couldn't hear her even in the muted room. "A nurse."

Kikyo snorted, somehow a delicate sound when coming from her. "Kagome is to take my place as President and CEO of Shikon. She is well aware of that, and wanting to play nurse is just another one of her childish whims."

"But mother—"

Kikyo silenced her daughter with nothing more than a firm look.

Inuyasha felt guilty. He had thought it a safe question. He tried again, "Well, uh, what's your favorite subject in school?" There was no way something like that could cause tension.

Before Kagome could answer, Kikyo butted in. "It's best not to discuss school with Kagome. She's been doing worse than usual this year and that's really saying something when you know her history."

Not wanting to turn the evening into a hurt-the-little-girl's-feelings party, Inuyasha said, "That's odd. I've just met you, Kagome, but I can already tell you are an exceptionally bright girl." He smiled apologetically at her. He wasn't used to dealing with kids and was unsure of how to act towards her. All he knew was that focusing on her in such a negative way couldn't be good.

"That's it, though, you've only just met her," Kikyo said with a smirk.

"My teachers all say I'm doing well," Kagome said quietly, somewhat unsure of herself now. He could hear the hurt in her voice and he knew it ran deep.

"A B-minus in geometry is not 'doing well', Kagome. What are these teachers thinking? Perhaps it's time to switch schools again."

"Mother, please! I was just starting to make friends!" The anxiety in her voice was present in her face as well.

"I had hoped you would finish at my alma mater, but it appears as though that was not meant to be," Kikyo said as though she had not heard her daughter's anguished words, cutting her remaining salmon into bite-sized pieces and then cutting them in half.

"I'll bring my grade up in geometry and study four more hours every day and all weekend," Kagome said, the tears she had been holding back since the evening started now beginning to make their way down her face. Inuyasha felt invisible and helpless, wanting to help but not sure of his place yet.

"It has already been decided, Kagome." Kikyo's voice was a few degrees cooler than it had been and even Inuyasha shivered.

"_Mother_!" Kagome stood up so fast her chair fell over backwards, her hands shaking as they gripped the edge of the table.

"You are excused. You may go to your room and study."

A sob wrenched out from Kagome's throat and she turned and ran, footsteps echoing loudly. He heard a door slam.

Kikyo chuckled. "I hope that little display of hers did not change your mind, Inuyasha. Teenagers are like little bundles of insanity."

He sat still, eyes on where Kagome had been sitting. Were things always like this between the two of them?

"What the fuck, Kikyo!"

"Excuse me?" She raised her eyebrows very slightly in a cool, aristocratic manner. She didn't even look surprised by his outburst, she just seemed like she was waiting for him to apologize.

"What the hell was all that with Kagome? Are things always like this?"

"I warned you she was willful," she sighed. "If you don't want to do this anymore, I could always go with my back-up plan and send her to boarding school and try to hold on as long as I can."

Inuyasha's mouth dropped open in consternation. Did Kikyo not realize that what she was doing to her daughter was horrid? Or… was this because of the disease? He knew people dealt with death in different ways, some becoming peaceful and resigned, others lashing out at everyone around them. Kikyo fell into the latter category, he guessed.

"Move in with me."

"Excuse me?" she said again, eyes widening slightly. So that's what shock looked like on her.

"I want you and Kagome to move in with me before the wedding." Maybe with his company Kikyo would start to lay off of Kagome. At the very least, he could get Kagome some decent food.

"This is far too sudden, Inuyasha! I only just proposed our arrangement this morning. You haven't thought—"

"I have. I have thought this through," he lied, thinking quickly to make up for it. "I have six extra bedrooms just collecting dust and there's a good private school nearby where all my colleagues send their kids. Please move in with me, Kikyo. Let me make your last days comfortable. Shutting yourself up in this scary old place isn't good for you," he pleaded. It was really selfish of him and he knew it. Just having someone to talk to would make him content, he realized in surprise. He had not known how lonely he truly was.

Her eyes softened a tad. "Very well. I'll have you know that I do not intend to stop working and will be in the office or away on business quite a bit. My spiritual powers keep the majority of the pain at bay so I can keep up appearances. Every weekend I am home will be spent at Suikotsu's."

"Of course. I will not interfere with your routine."

Was this how she and her daughter lived? Was Kagome neglected and then controlled, over and over again?

"How do you think Kagome will feel about this?" he asked, not wanting to cause the girl more anguish. She obviously wanted to stay at her current school, but Kikyo's mind seemed made up. He would do what he could for her.

Kikyo laughed. "She'll be delighted. Kagome has always hated this place despite not ever having lived anywhere else."

Inuyasha nodded. A girl like her did not belong in this dark place, overcrowded with expensive, ancient objects that themselves seemed condescending. He could already picture her in his home, doing her schoolwork in the bright sunshine that always came in particularly nicely through the kitchen window, sitting at the small table where he drank his coffee every morning. He smiled at the thought.

"Thanks for dinner, Kikyo. I better get going."

"Didn't you have something you wanted to discuss?"

He had completely forgotten. "We can do all that when you move in."

"I want this wedding as soon as possible," she stated, placing her hand on his, eyes boring into his with intent.

"Well then, move in as soon as possible."

Kikyo sighed, sounding somewhat exasperated. "You are beginning to remind me of Kagome. So willful and stubborn. But alright. Urasue will give you the remainder of your meal to take home with you. I remember your horrid dietary habits."

He started to refuse out of loyalty to his precious ramen, but then remembered Kagome.

"Sure," he nodded.

No sooner than he had spoken, the double doors banged open and out shuffled Mother Time herself, holding several Tupperware containers. He took them from her and nodded his head goodbye.

"Call me, Kikyo. I'll find my way out, don't trouble yourself."

He walked to the door quickly, not waiting for a reply, anxious to find Kagome and then be on his way. He closed the heavy wooden front door as quietly as he could and trotted around to the back of the large, crumbling house, intent on finding Kagome's room. He knew from past experience that all the bedrooms were in the back of the second floor and all had balconies. Inuyasha had spent many nights lurking around here while courting Kikyo. Only one room had a dim light coming from it, a little one all the way at the end. He smiled up at the glow. He could feel her.

Bending down, he used his strong eyesight to locate a handful of tiny pebbles. He flung them up at the glass and was pleased when Kagome appeared immediately. It took her a few seconds to spot him, but when she did she opened the French doors and slid out onto the balcony. His smile grew and, balancing the stack of Tupperware on his hip, he jumped up and landed next to her.

"Woah…" Kagome breathed, eyes wide and glowing softly with a child-like wonder. He chuckled at her expression. His heart was beating very fast and he briefly wondered why, as he had not exerted himself at all.

"Why are you here, Father?"

He ignored her question and looked beyond her, into her room. It was small and plain, containing only a narrow bed with a sheet on it, a desk with spindly legs, a chair in front of it that looked like it was about to fall apart, and a closet. The door to her closet was open and he saw few articles of clothing inside, one being the uniform she had been wearing when he entered. There was a shapeless flannel nightgown laid out on the bed and he wondered if anything was less fitting for her.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he held out the Tupperware to her.

"Here. You should eat."

"But this belongs to you, Father," she said, even as she took it from him. Inuyasha chuckled again. Something about her just made him feel lighter somehow.

"I'm giving it to you, Kagome."

She bowed her head slightly. "I am very grateful."

He reached out a hand and ruffled her hair, lingering to savor the surprisingly silky texture of her waves.

"No need to be so formal. It doesn't become you."

The girl stared at him, silent, and just as he was about to excuse himself and leave, she dropped the Tupperware and threw her arms around him in a fierce embrace. He was startled but quickly returned it, cradling her head against his shoulder, inhaling her happy scent.

"May I call you… Papa?"

"Huh? Uh, sure. Whatever you want…" he murmured, distracted by her softness. She was a bit old to be calling him that, but he remembered what Kikyo had told him about her wish for a father. She'd probably grow out of it after it stopped being a novelty and then they would become friends.

"Papa Yasha. I like it," she said, followed by a sunshiney giggle.

She left his arms and he suddenly felt very cold, much colder than he had been before their hug, as he watched her pick up the scattered Tupperware, which thankfully had stayed lidded.

"See you soon, Papa Yasha," she whispered, closing the door behind her and drawing a curtain.

"See you, Kagome," he whispered to no one, staring at the French doors for a short while before jumping off the balcony and to his car.

Kagome placed the Tupperware on her desk and dug in, eating with her fingers. There was filet mignon (Kagome was not allowed to have beef), garlic mashed potatoes (also forbidden, potatoes were unhealthy) and a rich, fudgey cake (sweets were allowed in small portions on birthdays and Christmas). She ate quickly, enjoying it immensely, savoring the delicacies and thinking of her new father all the while.

Kikyo had told her stories about Inuyasha ever since she was a little girl. Her mother's eyes would soften and glow when she spoke of him in a way they never did at any other time. Kagome had always wanted to meet the man her mother obviously loved, imagining him to be strong and kind and gentle, worthy of her mother.

She had been surprised when she opened the door and saw Inuyasha standing there so nervously, but had tried not to show it. The guy looked hardly older than her! Kikyo had mentioned that he was a half-demon and she knew people with demonic ancestry aged differently, but she had still expected someone older and more mature looking, someone like her mother. Shrugging it off as opposites attracting, she had easily regained her enthusiasm and tugged him inside.

Kagome could definitely see what her mother saw in him. He was very, very handsome, so much more attractive than what she had imagined when Kikyo described him. She knew he was kind, he had demonstrated so repeatedly throughout the evening. Yet still, there seemed to be a wildness in him that could not, would not be tamed. She shivered just thinking about it. And those puppy ears! They sang a sort of siren's song to her, like they were begging to be touched. They just looked so soft and twitched so unexpectedly in such an interesting way. But her mother would have scolded her even worse than usual if she had given in.

Kagome usually took her mother's rebukes in stride. She was used to that kind of treatment and corrected her behavior almost without thought. However, Inuyasha witnessing her verbal punishments embarrassed her and she reacted much more emotionally than she would have under normal circumstances. She had desperately wanted to make a good impression. She had been praying for a father all her life, after all. Kagome used to pray for a sibling as well, but one day Kikyo overheard her litany of secret wishes and laughed, saying one pregnancy was enough for a lifetime and adoption was out of the question with a child so prone to misbehaving already her responsibility. So at the age of six she gave up all hope for a little brother or sister and instead doubled her prayers for a father. She just hadn't expected to get such a young, good-looking one.

Blushing, she pushed those thoughts far, far away from her mind, instead pondering what to do with the now empty and licked clean Tupperware. Kagome knelt down and pried up a loose floorboard carefully, going slow so as to be quiet, and slid the containers inside. She would wash them while Kikyo was at work and Urasue took her usual drunken nap.

Sighing, she rose to her feet and slipped out of her company dress and tugged it onto a hanger, wishing she could wear it more often. She only owned that, her school uniform, and two casual outfits consisting of plain white blouses, a black skirt, and a pair of khaki pants. Her mother said that if she had more clothes her head would get bigger and she would become vain, materialistic and worthless. Kagome changed into her nightgown and went to her small bed, turning the desk lamp off on the way. She climbed under the single, thin sheet and closed her eyes, thanking heaven for the gift of Inuyasha, the new member of her family. He would make her mother happy and that would make Kagome happy. She drifted off with a smile on her face and dreamt of white dresses and whiter puppy dogs.


	4. Koreaboo

**Author's Note: You guys ever have an idea, and you're like "I don't know what I'm doing, but I'm fucking doing it"? That's what this is.**

***Song for the chapter: Everything is Embarrassing by Sky Ferreira***

Inuyasha woke up two hours later than usual, having drifted off near sunrise, not able to get the picture of Kagome glowing with her angel's smile, even after all she had been through, out of his head. He couldn't quite remember what he had dreamt, but he was sure Kagome had been present. Something about her just stuck with him, he could not quite put his finger on it. It went beyond just witnessing how Kikyo treated her, or knowing what the future held for her once her mother died and she would be left with him as her guardian. He would let her be a nurse or whatever she wanted to be and he would run the company for her, for Kikyo's memory. He would make sure Kagome lived a fulfilling life.

Skipping breakfast, he rushed to the office, spending the entire day yelling at interns and dumping tedious, mind-numbing work on his hapless employees. He vowed to go to bed early, aware of his irritability and hating himself for it. One good thing that came from his irrational anger was that it fueled him and enabled him to finish all his day's work well ahead of time. Inuyasha sat in his office, three hours before the end of the workday, wondering what to do. He could just go home, but he'd only feel the same, and all the employees witnessing his early departure would hate him more than he was comfortable with.

Without his permission, his mind went back to Kagome and Kikyo. If the way she treated her daughter was any indication of her personality as a whole, Kikyo had certainly changed, and not for the better. Or had she? Had he been too blinded by his love for her that he had failed to see her for what she was, failed to discern what she was capable of? The thought shocked him. She had always been cold, anyone could see that, and very proud. Kikyo held herself to a very high standard and demanded the same from everyone else. He remembered how she'd always comb his hair for him before they went out together, continuing even after he told her it made him feel emasculated, like a little boy. She would insist on picking out his clothes, even going so far as to forbid him from wearing things she thought were not "fitting for a man of his station". Of course she'd be even harder on Kagome, her own flesh and blood.

And they looked so much alike! It still boggled his mind. He had spent the entire dinner studying Kagome and Kikyo, and had begun to notice differences, slight though they were. Kagome's eyes were several shades lighter than her mother's, Kikyo's reminding him of lead and Kagome's of an overcast day with the sun begging to come out. Kagome's hair was wavy and slightly finer, looking untamed although he had a feeling she was one of those girls who agonized over its appearance. Kikyo's hair was stick straight and flowed naturally down her back like a waterfall, graceful. Kikyo's mouth was wider, her lips thinner and darker. Her face was a narrow oval and a shade paler, her cheekbones standing out in a way that made her look dramatic. Kagome's face was just sweet, somehow open in a way he had never seen before. And even though Kagome was young, she already had a fuller figure than her mother. Inuyasha told himself he hadn't been checking his future step-daughter out, it was just that he couldn't help but notice that her dress had been a little tight in a few interesting areas. He really had only been looking at her in the first place to see how she differed from Kikyo, and he had hugged her back so enthusiastically only because he hated to see a woman cry. He was not one to rob the cradle, although technically speaking the oldest human alive would be like an infant when compared to his years.

The phone rang shrill and he jumped. Jaken wouldn't call for at least another week. He narrowed his eyes at the shrieking piece of technology, imagining ways he would verbally torment what was sure to be a caller with the wrong number.

"Yeah," he barked into the phone, anger already blazing. He needed to blow off some steam and anyone would do.

"Inuyasha," Kikyo said in that soft, intimate voice that had always been just for him.

"Kikyo," he breathed. Just getting a phone call from her was surreal.

"I need to know when you would like me to move in," she said pleasantly.

"Hmmm," he hadn't given much thought to it. "What time does Kagome get out of school?"

She paused briefly. "Do you not remember my decision to withdraw her?"

"I do, I do," he assured her. "I just figured what with the move and all that you'd keep her enrolled until she got settled here. It's only like a twenty-five minute drive from your place."

"Kagome will be tutored by Urasue until she is enrolled at the school you recommended."

He shuddered, imagining the old hag torturing the girl with facts and figures, forcing her to recite pages upon pages of dry poetry until late into the night.

"Move in right now!" He hadn't intended to raise his voice, but his thoughts had drawn an image that left him feeling anxious.

"You're joking. I am not prepared, I could not possibly—"

"Just bring yourselves and whatever you'll need tonight. I'll send someone for your things first thing in the morning."

Kikyo chuckled. "So eager for company. You have not changed a bit, Inuyasha. I'm glad. Very well, my daughter and I will drive to your home immediately. I suppose Urasue can look after the estate…"

Inuyasha stopped listening. They were coming. The spare rooms were furnished, although plainly. He would let Kagome have first choice, since she would be staying with him longer. Feeling a dull ache in his gut, he thought of Kikyo's impending death. Would she suffer? Was she suffering now? She had to be, she was dying. Still working, somehow. That was so very her. How would Kagome react to her passing? _She will flourish, _his mind answered, and he immediately felt terrible and wished he could unthink it.

"Inuyasha?"

He coughed guiltily. "Uh, yes. What were we talking about?"

"I asked for your address," Kikyo answered, her tone informing him she was somewhat peeved. He told her, giving her directions since it was somewhat hard to find, and they said their goodbyes. Immediately after hanging up, he rushed out of his office with inhuman speed, barely remembering to grab his briefcase. He sped home, breaking all sorts of traffic laws, not caring about getting pulled over. He burst into his house and immediately started tidying up all evidence of his bachelor lifestyle. Rushing around, he threw away random junk, tossed dirty laundry in the hamper, neatly stacked the magazines that had been littered around the coffee table and sofa, ripping the ones of a not-so-innocent nature into shreds with his claws and throwing them in the trash. He made a mental note to stop those subscriptions. It was the twenty-first century, after all, and porno mags were a relic of an ancient past. Plus, having a young ward would severely impact his masturbation time. He made another mental note to buy a membership to one of those internet sites his perverted accountant was always urging him to try.

Finishing with the first floor, he ran up to the second to do a quick once-over of the spare rooms. Opening up the windows to get rid of the stale smell, he checked the blankets on the beds for dust, going from room to room until he heard the doorbell ring.

He quickly made his way down the stairs and toward the door, stumbling over his feet in his eagerness, checking his appearance in the mirror on the wall before opening the door. He had been alone for so long, without even guests. Anyone coming over was exciting, but coming to stay… That was truly something.

Kikyo and Kagome stood on his doorstep, the girl behind her mother carrying two overnight bags, one in each hand. Kikyo breezed past him and into the living room, Kagome following and smiling at him, even more excited than he was. With a nod at her daughter to behave, Kikyo sat down on the sofa and Kagome continued standing, looking at her surroundings curiously, eyes lit up. Inuyasha tried seeing it from her point of view, wondering what made her seem so delighted, but couldn't. His home was large and plain, with little furnishing and almost no decoration. He used to keep a photo of him and Kikyo over the fireplace as a reminder that he had once been normal, but that had gone in the trash years ago. The only thing on the wall was the mirror he placed by the door to ensure he at least looked semi-presentable on his way out. He had only a sofa, a small coffee table, and a television in the living room and this was probably the only room he had put any thought into beside his bedroom. He had never been one for material objects, anyway.

"I love your home. It's so open and bright," Kagome said, her voice echoing in the near-empty room.

He laughed, surprised even though he had seen her thoughts on her expressive face. "Well, that's one way to put it. It's pretty much empty."

"It's simple. There are no distractions. Perfect." She smiled at him again and he suddenly felt nervous, not knowing why. She liked it, didn't she?

"Have you given any thought to where our rooms will be?" Kikyo asked, bored with their short conversation but still achingly polite.

"Er, I thought I would just let you two pick."

"Aren't you guys going to be together?" Kagome asked, blushing.

Inuyasha winced visibly. Kagome did not know this marriage was just a charade. He had to think of something to say before Kikyo started giving him The Look. The Look was something he had feared most during their relationship, always right there whenever he managed to slip up in the littlest way.

"Uh, well—"

"Inuyasha is very old-fashioned. He and I will be sleeping separately until the wedding." Kikyo gave him a slightly milder version of The Look and he relaxed. She always had things covered.

"Oh, that's so romantic!" Kagome squealed, clapping her hands and dropping their bags in the process. Kikyo rolled her eyes and the girl immediately flushed and looked down. She bent down to pick the bags up again and he did as well, taking them from her and brushing her fingers in the process. Kagome didn't seem to notice, but he certainly did. Shivers ran up and down his spine, and he wondered at how such slight contact could make him feel like that. She thanked him with another one of her angel smiles and he told himself he had just been alone for too, too long.

"Why don't you ladies follow me upstairs and we can pick out rooms?"

Kagome hurried toward the stairs, almost skipping, but feeling Kikyo's glare between her shoulder blades, she slowed down and stepped gracefully, pausing at the bannister to wait for them. Inuyasha lead the way, followed by Kikyo, and he placed their bags at the head of the stairs.

"Go ahead, Kagome. Pick one."

Kagome stared at the rows of doors he had gestured to, one down the hall to their left and one down the hall to their right. Suddenly turning shy, she said, "Um, Mother should pick first."

Before Kikyo could speak, he said, "Nope, I'm the man of the house and I say you get first pick. Now go ahead. Look inside the rooms, too. You can't pick properly if you don't know what they look like."

She glanced at him and then away again quickly. "Whichever's smallest."

Sighing in a playfully exasperated manner, he pointed to the one closest to them. It was actually the largest after his own, the one he had wanted her to have. "That one, then. Open the door and check it out."

Tentatively, she placed her hand on the door knob and turned, entering the room slowly. She gasped and the sound delighted him. The room was very plain, with white walls, wood floors, a twin bed and a good-sized closet. Its one special feature was a large bay window with a window seat. It had a good view of the Goshinboku and the sunlight came in strong. He watched her take in her surroundings, her happy gray eyes darting about every which way.

"You like it?" he asked lazily, leaning against the doorway and feeling proud.

"I love it!" She skipped back to the door and threw her arms around him. "Thank you, Papa Yasha," she murmured into his chest. He stroked her hair again, one arm wrapped around her with a hold as tight as hers. Inuyasha sniffed her hair, completely conscious of the creepiness but too drawn in by her scent to care much about it. What was it? What was so very attractive about it?

"'Papa Yasha'? When did that happen?" Kikyo asked, amused. He stiffened guiltily. He had completely forgotten she was there.

Kagome pushed away from him and explained quietly, gaze stuck on the floor, "He said I could call him anything I wanted and Papa Yasha just felt right."

"I'm going to take a room in the other hall," Kikyo said with an air of distraction about her, wandering off as she spoke.

"My room's right down the hall from yours, Kagome, okay?"

"Can I see it?"

He immediately blushed, cursing himself for his reaction to her innocent words. "Uh, sure. This way."

He led her to the end of the hall, his door already open. She skipped inside ahead of him then stopped so abruptly he bumped into her. He was about to apologize when she said, "Wow! Your room is so _cool_!"

Nodding, he again tried to see his home through her eyes. Usually he hardly noticed his surroundings, but with Kagome there everything was just so much clearer. His bedroom was red, black, and gold with a splash of white here and there. His walls were total black, and the bed was large, beyond king-sized, a Victorian-style four poster with a heavily embroidered gold bedspread and red satin sheets. He normally was not one for such extravagance, but he enjoyed his sleep and had splurged on this one thing. The single window of the room was large but covered with a heavy, deep red velvet curtain with gold tassels. The thick, soft carpet was pure black, the intricately carved chest of drawers white. Bookshelves took up an entire wall from top to bottom, all but the space where an arch led to his personal bathroom, the floor of which had a white and red mosaic of the sun.

A light laugh and the creak of bedsprings startled him from his observation and he looked to see Kagome on her back on his bed. She spread out her arms and smiled, her dark hair fanned out gloriously over the shining covers. He felt an odd tightening in his chest as he looked at her, a nervous anticipation. He wanted to reach out and—he knew not what.

"Can you jump on it?"

"Er, I never really tried."

She sat up and bounced a little and his eyes could not help but follow her movements. Something, everything about her was just so appealing. Seeing her on his bed brought odd feelings that he was not willing to decipher. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him and he shrugged his shoulders, dismissing it. He had done nothing wrong.

"Let's see which room your mom picked."

The girl nodded and scrambled off the bed, hurrying out his door and down the hall they had come. He took a deep breath and followed, noticing that her scent was now in his room for better or for worse.

Quickly, he caught up to Kagome, gesturing to the door beside hers that was going to be her private bathroom from now on. She peeked inside. It was small but had all the necessary items. Kikyo was standing outside the room at the end of the other hall. For some reason, Inuyasha felt glad she was as far away from him as could be. He cared deeply for her, but this reunion had him drawing new conclusions about her and he couldn't say they were good ones. She had already taken her bag and unpacked the few things she had brought with her.

"All settled in?" he asked.

"Yes, thank you. I must get going, though I would love to stay and catch up. We've hardly had any time to talk."

"W-wait, what?" She was going to leave him alone with Kagome? A teenage girl? He visibly paled. He didn't know the first thing about teenagers, especially modern ones.

"I know, but it's urgent. We're developing a new line of glucometers and those incompetent idiots I employ need my oversight on every little thing, especially now."

"Can I come?" Kagome asked, perhaps a little too brightly. He sensed she was nervous, and the fact that she was as uncomfortable as he was in this new situation soothed him a bit. Perhaps they could find common ground somewhere.

"Of course you'd only show interest in your future right when it's inconvenient," Kikyo muttered. "I'm in a rush. I'm going to have to drive out to the factory so I probably won't be back tonight."

"Okay," he squeaked, his anxiety reaching new heights. Kikyo kissed him on the cheek and rushed downstairs and out the door, but he hardly noticed. His heart was beating so loudly he was sure even the little human girl could hear it.

"So…" Kagome said. He could tell from the start that she was not one who was content with simple silence, but even she seemed at a loss for words. They had been alone together once before, but Kikyo had been nearby. Now it was like they were meeting for the first time.

"Uh…yeah." He flinched at how stupid he must sound to her. She was looking at him with her big, gray eyes and seemed so unsure. He remembered she had not had a male presence in her life and reasoned with himself that he was as new to her as she was to him. They were on equal ground.

"Have you read all your books?"

"Most of them." He could not think of anything to say beyond that. Words were gone. He knew seventeen different languages yet he could not even manage a complete sentence in front of this girl.

"I love to read."

"If—If you want, you can borrow a book. Or two. Or twelve. Any of them. Any time. Just ask me. Or not. It's okay. Some of them are really old though, so you'll have to be careful. They're mostly history books, a few novels. Nothing really brand new. Well, brand new meaning the last fifty or so years." The word vomit was worse than silence. He wanted to punch himself.

"Thank you," she smiled sweetly, lessening his embarrassment.

"Yeah. Do you need any help unpacking? Or do you need me to get you anything?"

"No thanks, I brought everything with me."

"Everything?" He raised an eyebrow. Those overnight bags were small and only one of them was hers. "Are you sure? Who knows when Kikyo will be back. Don't you need toothpaste or shampoo or a change of clothes?"

"No, I've got it all. I packed all my things when we left. I didn't want to go back," she confessed.

"_All_ your things? Seriously?"

"Yes. Mother says a spartan upbringing ensures a greater drive for success later in life."

Inuyasha was speechless. He himself wasn't very materialistic, but he sure as hell would not limit himself to a single bag of possessions. He knew enough about teenage girls and females in general to know that they were supposed to have _things_. Women liked things. Kagome didn't have enough. An idea took root in his mind and he smiled. He had found a way to bond with her.

"We're going shopping."

"Alright. What would you like me to make for dinner?"

He laughed outright. "No, Kagome. We're going shopping for _clothes_. Clothes for you."

"Oh." Her eyes widened and she seemed very surprised. Patting himself on the back for remembering something about the fairer sex, he eyed her clothing. A plain, white blouse that looked exactly like what she had worn for her school uniform and a knee-length, shapeless black skirt. He assumed her other clothes would be much the same, boring and not suited to her.

"Come on. We're going to one of the Tetsusaiga stores."

"R-right now?"

"That's what I said." He spoke in his more casual, somewhat rough tone. Now that he had a purpose he was no longer nervous, no longer unsure. Kagome followed behind him and they exited the house, not even bothering to lock the door. He never did. Hardly anybody knew where he lived, the road leading to his home was ten miles of dirt and hard to find unless you knew where it was. Add in the chain-link fence with barbed wire going all around his forest, and you have a pretty secure homestead.

Inuyasha slid into his favorite car, the sleek white one he had spent a large, forgotten amount of money on. He heard the door close and started the engine.

"Front seat, Kagome. You're not a child," he smirked.

He heard her belt unbuckle and she slid into the front seat gracefully, legs first. Catching himself just as he began to admire the long, creamy appendages, he backed up and sped out of the driveway. Now he was presented with a series of new problems. Did she want to make conversation? Or would she prefer music? But what kind of music? Maybe even talk radio? And what about when they got to the shop? He knew nothing of her preferences and she seemed to not know much more about what she'd like herself, apparently having never been allowed a choice in her life.

"So, um, you own Tetsusaiga?"

"Yes," he almost sighed in relief. She was talking about his business! He could go on about the subject for hours even in his sleep.

"I've never been to any one of the stores, but I've heard they're everywhere."

"Yeah. We're like Wal-Mart, only not cheap and shitty." His eyes widened when he realized he had cursed in front of Kikyo's daughter. Fuck, if this got back to her he'd be in trouble.

But Kagome just giggled. "I've never been to a Wal-Mart, either."

"Have you ever been anywhere?" he asked jokingly.

She sighed. "Not really. I've honestly only ever been shuttled from whatever school to home and back again. But sometimes Urasue lets me watch television so I don't feel like I'm missing out on too much."

Almost getting into a car accident from gaping at her, he quickly righted the vehicle and kept his eyes on the road. "Seriously?! You've never been anywhere but that dusty old place and whatever snobby school Kikyo picked?"

"Well, I've been to other people's houses. I'm not a complete loser," she muttered.

He blanched. He hadn't been trying to insinuate that there was something wrong with her. "I'll just have to take you out and show you around then. Organize your grand debut. We'll go shopping and then to a restaurant and a movie or something. You've seen movies, right?"

Kagome snorted, obviously taking offense at his words. "I might have never been to a theater, but I've seen a ton of movies."

"Alright, don't get pissy with me, angel. I'm just trying to show you a good time." The nickname he had been calling her in his mind just slipped out and it felt too right to take back.

He glanced at her and she was smiling at him. "Thank you, Papa Yasha."

He flinched at the name, hoping his reaction wasn't obvious. Being a father was not something he had ever seriously thought about, and to have a young woman call him that made him feel like some sort of pimp. Vowing to get used to it, he pulled into the parking lot of Tetsusaiga department store, managing to snag a spot close to the front.

Inuyasha practically jogged to the front of the store, Kagome running to keep up with him. He wanted to give to her, but he hated shopping. The people, the searching, the waiting. He constantly thanked whatever deity came first to his mind for the creation of the internet. Now he could just get whatever he wanted from his home and he didn't even have to talk to anyone to do it. But Kagome needed clothes now and she deserved the experience.

"Pick what you like. I'll go over and wait by—"

She grabbed his wrist so suddenly it stunned him, then released him just as quickly. "S-sorry. It's just… I haven't been alone before. I don't know what to do," she whispered, glancing at all the people around them with wide eyes.

"Sure. Uh, let's head to the women's section."

They wandered the short distance to where women's clothes were kept, Inuyasha leading the way. Kagome stared at everything, her eyes constantly moving from item to item, person to person. She jumped when an announcement came from the speakers in the ceiling, interrupting the boring elevator music with a pre-recorded message reminding them that Halloween was just three weeks away and Tetsusaiga had a variety of women's costumes that would make your friends "scream in jealousy at how boo-tiful" you look.

"So… You're afraid of Count Chocula," he teased as soon as the goofy voice ended and the jazz came back on.

She smacked his arm that she had been gripping not two seconds before. "It surprised me! After the music, it was very loud and just—Ugh. And that stupid laugh!"

"Do you want me to tell them to turn it down?"

"No, no. Let's just keep going." She marched ahead of him, determined, and he stared after her a few seconds before following, wondering why he liked her so much so soon.

"So," she said, stopping in front of a rack of skirts. He waited for her to continue, but she did not. Kagome was holding a skirt in one hand and fiddling with the tag.

"Just get what you want, Kagome," he said. "You'll pay me back by ending your hermitage."

She glared up at him with a soft pout and he smirked at her expression. "I didn't stay at home because I wanted to, you know."

"I know. Now get what you like before Count Chocula comes back on and you start screaming for help and embarrass us."

She stomped away angrily towards a row of dresses and he followed her with his eyes, leaning against the rack of skirts she had been touching. Realizing she was probably going to buy a lot of expensive things now that he had ticked her off, he sighed and tried to calculate how much she would cost him over the next six years (at least). The numbers didn't matter much to him, but it was something to do. Girls were much more expensive than boys, he concluded. He would probably keep Kagome until she was 21, which was when she would inherit the company, although in name only since he would be the one officially running it. She would begin to receive a sizeable income from Shikon and would probably want to move out, unless she had already moved into the dorms of whatever college she ended up going to, or moved in with a friend or boyfriend. Inuyasha made a face at the last thought. He just could not, would not imagine Kagome with a boyfriend. Some stupid kid hanging around her constantly. She was attractive, more than attractive. There would be no shortage of boys offering themselves to her. He just had to make sure one of them was good enough.

"Papa Yasha?"

Shaking himself from his musings, he saw Kagome standing in front of him holding a bundle of clothing.

"I'm done."

"That's it?" He eyed the clothes in her hands skeptically. There was no way that was all she was getting. There was hardly anything there. "You're gonna need some more things."

"But my new school has a uniform, so—"

"So you're gonna need some more things. Are you planning on just wearing your uniform all the time? Who does that? I'll hold these, you go back out there and get whatever. Some casual things, some dressy things. We'll head over to shoes next."

She opened her mouth to protest but shook her head, handing him the clothes and heading back into the jungle of upper-end yet still reasonably priced (considering the quality) clothing. Bored, he held up the items she gave to him to hold. Two dresses, a blouse, and a skirt. The dresses were plain and seemed two sizes too large for her. The blouse was functional and exactly like the one she was wearing. The skirt he didn't object to, although he did think it was a little too short.

"Okay, I think I'm done for real now," she said, holding another dress and a pair of pants.

He raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," she chirped brightly.

"No."

"What?" Her smile faltered and she looked confused.

"I just don't think these clothes you've picked suit you."

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, exasperated. "You're dressing like a cat lady and you're barely fifteen."

"_What_?!" she growled between clenched teeth, obviously offended. "I don't criticize your taste in clothing. Speaking of which, what makes you think you can talk? You dress like a homeless guy from the 80's. When was the last time anyone wore a turtleneck with a blazer and jeans?! Let's not forget the Birkenstocks. I don't think that look has ever been popular."

Obviously, she was describing the outfit he had worn to Kikyo's house for the dinner. "Your mother picked that out for me."

"In this century?" she asked sarcastically.

He was going to shoot back with something just as sarcastic when he realized that it had, in fact, been an outfit purchased in the 90's and therefore a part of the last century.

"Whatever. Just get some new clothes. This isn't Little House on the Prairie."

"Fine. But you do the same." She had a stubborn look on her face and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine."

Smiling, she took the clothes from him and hung them back up. "Thank you, Papa Yasha," she said in a sing-song voice, skipping away. Sighing, he followed her with his eyes again, hoping she would choose something acceptable this time. He grabbed the short skirt she had picked earlier from where she had hung it up after his objections. He would include it in their purchases. Bored again, he decided to just enroll Kagome in school before Kikyo could change her mind. Dialing practically the only person he used the phone for, he impatiently waited for two whole rings before he got an answer.

"Myoga, enroll Kagome in that private school everyone sends their kids to."

"Who, sir?"

"Kagome."

"Uh, yes, but who is that?"

"Kikyo's daughter," he said, quickly losing his temper due to his subordinate's incompetence.

"Why would you be involved with that woman's daughter?"

"I'm marrying her."

There was a brief pause, and then Myoga practically yelled, "You're marrying Kikyo's daughter?!"

"_No_, you idiot, Kikyo! Now just get it done."

"But sir, I don't—"

"Do it."

He hung up on his secretary and silenced his phone, not wanting to deal with his complaints today.

"Was that Mother?" Kagome stood before him, arms burdened with a humongous pile of clothes. He blanched. Perhaps he should not have encouraged her so much.

"No, I was just seeing about getting you enrolled in school."

"Oh. Well, shall we go look for your stuff?"

"Have you tried those on?" He gestured to the mountain in her arms.

"Do… Do I have to?" She fidgeted nervously, nearly dropping her bundle but regaining her hold at the last moment.

"It's kind of standard procedure. Just make sure everything looks alright."

Sighing wearily, she trudged toward the entrance to the fitting rooms. He went to sit in the chairs placed near the entrance she had gone through, those rickety seats chosen especially for the use of bored, suffering males. Inuyasha contemplated getting up and grabbing a few shirts to satisfy Kagome's "misery loves company" urge, but ultimately decided to wait until she finished. The minutes passed and he stared off into space, plunging into a depth of boredom so intense he was almost certain he was having an out of body experience.

"Done."

He shot up quickly, eager to move on and end this portion of the outing as soon as possible. His gaze landed on Kagome standing next to him and everything just stopped. Her face was turned away from him, she was looking around the store to see where to go next. She was wearing a yellow sundress with daisies embroidered on the hem, stopping inches above her knees. Her hair was the same as before but somehow appeared better to him, fuller and shinier. Kagome coughed and he realized he was gawking at her, so he quickly looked away and said, "What… What happened to the clothes you had on?"

She blushed and fidgeted, again almost dropping the pile of clothes she clutched. "The fitting room attendant took them and put them in the trash. She said I had wronged fashion and the only way to make recompense was to never wear anything like that again."

"…I see. You look—" He stopped there, not knowing what he was going to say and wishing he had never begun to say it.

"What? I look what?" She asked anxiously.

"Weird," he blurted out. He wanted to punch himself when he saw the stunned, hurt look on her face. "I mean, uh, not bad weird. Just… I'm gonna shut up now. It's a change, that's what it is. A change. And it's good. You look… good."

"Really?" she asked shyly, looking up at him from beneath her lashes.

"Yeah. Definitely. For sure. Uh, let's find some shoes and then we'll head over to furniture."

"Why furniture?"

"Your room has nothing in it."

"I think it's nice the way it is."

"That's sweet, but no. We're gonna turn it from a guest room to your room." It would make her more comfortable, plus it was a way to kill time until Kikyo got back and made things less awkward. Furniture shopping was more fun than clothes shopping, anyway, and it might distract her from wanting to update his wardrobe.

"Thank you, Papa Yasha," she smiled. A woman with two young children passed by and glared at them. He mentally rolled his eyes. That name really did make him sound like a pimp, and with how young Kagome was, he must look like a monster.

"Yeah, let's get going."

He watched Kagome try on shoes for the next half hour, marveling at all the many selections women had to choose from. He had only two pairs of shoes, one for work and one for not work. He preferred to go barefoot around the house, and if he could he would go barefoot everywhere. When she finally declared she was finished, he was burdened with the pile of her clothes and eight boxes of shoes stacked precariously atop it.

"Um, Kagome, I think I'm just gonna leave your stuff here at the shoe desk so I can see. We'll come back for it all when we're done."

Barely taking the time to nod, she was already skipping off toward furniture, her first timer's anxiety gone, and he hurriedly dropped his own name and shoved the pile of goods toward the masculine woman manning the shoe department, running after his soon-to-be step-daughter.

Kagome stopped suddenly and he literally ran into her, but quickly grabbed her upper arms to ensure she would not fall. "What'd you stop—Oh."

The lingerie section. Sure, those items were essential, especially for a teenage girl who was still in the process of maturing. But certainly she would prefer to go with her mother? However, Kikyo had mentioned she would be gone a lot, so who knew when she'd actually have time to spend with her daughter.

"You, uh… You need, um, those things?" He gestured vaguely to a rack of bras, not even looking at them or at her. Inuyasha cursed his awkwardness, wondering why this situation was so different. He had bought women lingerie before, no problem. But he had always seen them in those purchases soon afterward. Shopping for Kagome, though, made his palms sweat. Even if he just stood around doing nothing, not even entering the section, just knowing his money was what got her those things made him feel… well, weird. Nervous.

Distracted, she responded, "Yeah, I'll just grab a few things and I'll be done. I'll ask them to keep it here for us, okay?"

"Uh, do you need help?" he choked out, hoping he wasn't blushing even as he felt the heat rise to his face.

She laughed, and although he knew she wasn't laughing at _him _exactly, he still felt his face heat up further. "No, I'll be fine on my own. It won't take too long."

"Get some pajamas, too." He remembered the nightgown he had glimpsed before, recalling its drab flannel look.

"Yeah, whatever," she muttered, already heading into the jungle of women's underwear. He exhaled and pulled out his phone to check the time, ignoring the fifteen missed calls from Myoga. Five o'clock. If they finished soon, they'd still have time for dinner and a movie. The nervousness came back full-force and he felt almost queasy. It was Friday night, a lot of people would be out and about, so it wasn't like he'd be alone with her, although he didn't know why he felt that was such an issue. Inuyasha nearly slapped himself when he realized he was thinking of this as a date instead of just getting to know his fiancée's daughter. It was true he liked her and thought she was pretty and he enjoyed spending time with her and he had been alone for a very long time, but she was so off-limits and he didn't even want to go there anyway, so he just stopped thinking and concentrated on getting the bored out of body experience back in order to feel semi-normal again and not like a raging pervert.

"Okay, let's go," she sang out, grabbing his wrist and pulling him from his thoughts and towards the furniture department. He found himself wondering what she had chosen and felt almost physically sick when he saw the direction his mind was taking. This was too fast, too wrong, too crazy. He would need to gain a great amount of self-discipline in order to take charge of his thoughts and prevent them from going down the path they seemed so focused on.

"What… What do we do?" Kagome asked, looking around at all the beds and chairs and sofas and tables. Nobody else was around, so she could not watch them and learn. Inuyasha chuckled at her anxious, confused face.

"Just take a look around and tell me what you like."

"I… don't know. I don't know what I like."

He sighed once again. "Whatever catches your eye."

"Can you pick for me?" she asked, pleading with him with her big, gray eyes.

"Why?" he asked, pretending he was bored. He didn't want her to catch on to how flustered she made him.

"It's just—you have such good taste," he flinched at her choice of words and she continued without noticing, "and I'm so new to this. Can you pick for me?"

"We can always come back later, you know, when you figure yourself out."

"I'll only ask the same thing. Please, Papa Yasha?"

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to clear his mind, knowing it would make him appear exasperated and impatient. "Fine. But be honest if you don't like it, okay?"

She nodded enthusiastically and he resisted the urge to pat her on the head like a dog. He was sure she wouldn't appreciate it, and honestly he just wanted to touch her and that creeped him out. Turning to survey his options, he immediately spotted the perfect bed. It was a canopied bed, with almost transparent white curtains going around it. At its foot, the curtains were tied back to the posts, and he thought of a theater stage. Everything was white and puffy and it reminded him of a cloud. Since he thought of Kagome as an angel, a cloud would be fitting.

"That one," he pointed at the bed with a smirk.

Her brow furrowed and she glared up at him. "Did you just pick the first thing you saw?"

"_No_, I just happened to see that one first and I knew it was perfect for you."

Taking his wrist, she walked towards it, intent on examining the quality. He hoped she could not feel his pulse hammering away.

"Well, it _is_ nice," she murmured. She flopped down on it and extended a hand, beckoning to him. "Test it with me."

Inuyasha's mouth went dry and he felt his upper lip tremble. Kagome's dress had made its way up her thighs and now her legs were almost completely bare to his eyes, something which he both appreciated and cursed. "Um, well, we're just going to buy a different mattress anyway, so—"

"Get over here," she said impatiently.

He obeyed without thought and lay beside her on the bed. "You've got a nice view of the, um, rest of the bed here," he said, staring at the curtain going over the top.

"It feels too big for just me. Do you think it comes in a smaller size, like maybe full at least? This one seems as big as yours," she complained.

He knew it wasn't as big as his, this was queen-sized and his was custom-made. "Big beds are nice. Lots of room for sleeping or whatever."

"Well, there won't be any _whatever_ in my bed," she joked quietly, blushing and wrinkling her nose. He forgot how to breathe for a second and reached out and tapped her nose, putting a stop to the wrinkling, cute though it was.

"Let's see if we can find a—"

"Can I help you folks?"

"—sales associate," he muttered.

Kagome sat up quickly and he admired the way her hair fell in messy yet pretty waves down her back and over her shoulders, one strap of the dress sliding down in a way that was not yet immodest. "Yes, we were wondering if this bed was available in a smaller size?" she asked pleasantly.

"We currently only have it in queen and twin, but we're getting a new shipment on—"

"We'll take it. Throw in the bedding, too, and get a soft mattress. Know what? We'll take the entire bedroom set," he said, rising to his feet and smoothing his shirt out.

"Sir, you're going to have to take care of that yours—"

Inuyasha flashed his business card and the clerk's smile perked up and his transformation into kiss-ass was nearly complete.

"Certainly, sir, and would you like it delivered and set up as well?"

"Yeah, sure. Get it done by nine tonight." He scribbled down a number on the back of his business card which contained only his name and title and handed it to the scarily chipper young man. "Call Myoga at this number, he'll give you the details. Let's go, Kagome."

Setting a brisk pace as he walked away, he heard her stutter out a thank you and scamper after him. He didn't slow down until they got outside the store and Kagome grabbed his wrist, again setting off that weird reaction he had to her, making his heart cease beating and then speed up. He stopped suddenly with his back to her, feeling ashamed when he heard how out of breath she was.

"Aren't we going to pay?"

Whipping his head around to look at her, he flinched in embarrassment. Being in the bed with her had made him so nervous he had defaulted into what he privately called Scary Boss Man mode, where he was abrupt to the point of rudeness, unquestionably in charge, and so alpha other males either avoided him completely or fought to be of service to him. He had concentrated so hard on being Mr. Taisho, President and CEO, that he had totally forgotten his purpose at the store. What's worse was that he wasn't sure if he was acting in charge simply because he was nervous or because he wanted to show off in front of the teenage daughter of his fiancée.

"Uh, yeah, I forgot. Guess I'm getting old…" he muttered, trailing off. Kagome giggled and he somehow felt elated and even more embarrassed all at once. "Tell you what, my assistant is going to be coming down here to get the bed already, so I'll just text him and have him take care of the clothes and everything else. It'll all be in your room by the time we're done."

"Thank you, Papa Yasha," she smiled, leaning in to give him a hug he was only too eager to receive. "You're so nice," she whispered.

"You smell nice," he whispered back, lost in her scent.

"What?" she pulled away quickly, an odd look on her face, and he realized what he had said.

"Um, I said you are nice. You're nice, too." Inuyasha wished they were by a mirror so he could casually check how badly he was blushing. He couldn't remember ever having been so awkward in his life.

"Oh," she laughed, relieved. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I heard something else."

He laughed uneasily, promising himself some sort of punishment later, such as no ramen for a week or something. They walked back to the car in silence, Kagome content and him wanting to get away from her and eager to spend more time with her all at once.

"This is like something out of a K-drama," she said excitedly as she buckled her seatbelt.

"A what?"

"A Korean drama. They're basically soap operas. But the guy always takes the girl out to buy her all these clothes and stuff and usually he owns the store they're at or whatever," she giggled. "The main guy is always a complete jerk, so you're more like the nice guy character. The nice guy never gets the girl, though."

He laughed with her, while a darker part of his mind he thought died centuries ago proposed he could stop the car and show her exactly how nice he wasn't. His brief consideration appalled him and he almost didn't stop in time for a red light, their quick halt making Kagome squeal in a way he was certain he could hear again if he used his tongue and hands instead of brakes. Inuyasha clenched his teeth and almost slapped himself. He was a modern man, with a normal routine and normal desires. He was not some feral monster fantasizing about fucking the girl next to him, willing or not. Their relationship would be friendly, but nothing more. If something were to develop, it would be only the feelings a father would have toward his daughter and vice-versa. Yes, she was pretty and yes, he was attracted to her, but nothing would ever come of it. Repeating the mantra several times, he let out a breath he did not know he was holding. He had most certainly been alone for far, far too long.

"So, uh, what kind of movie do you want to see?" he asked as they neared his favorite theater.

"Hmmm," she pondered for a moment with a cute, concentrated look on her face and he nearly got into another accident as he stared at her. Driving with Kagome would be dangerous. "I don't know. I usually like romantic movies, but you're a guy so you don't want to see that."

"Just pick whatever you want, Kagome, don't worry about me," he said, both loving and hating that she was so considerate. Kikyo had always picked without even asking him and it had ruffled his feathers, although of course he endured in silence. He shook his head, promising he would not compare the two any longer.

"We could see a funny movie, I guess. I don't even know what's out now," she mumbled. "Can you—"

"You better not be asking me to pick for you again," he interrupted.

"Please?"

"No. You need to start making your own decisions," he said sternly, trying to channel the fathers he had seen on old sitcoms.

"I _do_ make my own decisions and I'm deciding to let you pick," she said cheekily.

"Why?" He was sincerely wondering.

"You would know better than me. And it feels weird when you let me choose everything. It feels—"

"Like a date?" he said flatly, trying to mask his hopeful tone.

She turned to look at him, shocked. "No! Oh, no no no. It—it feels like… like you're bored and you don't really want to be here and you're just carting me around to keep me occupied. You've been super nice, but that's just how it feels," she finished with a sigh.

Inuyasha pulled into the parking lot in a stunned silence. Had he overdone the standoffishness? Really, all he had been trying to do was not scare her with how much he liked her. It was already scaring him. A lot. He knew she wanted to be friends, and he did too, but how could he let her innocently befriend him when he could not stop himself from having the thoughts that had been running through his head since her arrival?

"I'm sorry," he said honestly. "I just—I want you to have a good time. I'm not used to being, well, _nice_. But I want to be nice to you," he said awkwardly, cursing his current inability to not sound like some sort of weirdo.

"Don't feel bad," she said urgently, placing a hand on his knee in a gentle way that made him break out in a nervous sweat. This girl really had no sense of personal space. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," he almost laughed out loud, "I just want us to be friends. Mother loves you and I want to see what she sees so I can love you too."

The sincerity in her eyes nearly overwhelmed him and he suddenly wanted to tell her the truth, the whole truth. About how her mother did not love him and he did not love her, that her mother was dying and had requested he care for her at least until she turned twenty-one and inherited Shikon. That even though she was fifteen and he was so old he had stopped counting the years, he wanted her with an intensity that was so strong and so sudden that he didn't trust himself around her. That even though he would hate himself if he ruined her innocence, that wouldn't stop him from staying by her side.

Instead, he said, "Thank you, Kagome. I think we've had enough serious talk, how about some popcorn?"

She smiled and nodded, removing her small hand from his knee and exiting the car. He sagged over the steering wheel in relief. His little crush on her was going to have to stop, and soon. Getting out, he caught up to Kagome who was already halfway to the theater, obviously excited enough to forget her timidity. He scanned the list of available movies as they waited in line, picking one with a title that seemed interesting enough. The ticket seller gave him an odd look, glancing between him and Kagome. He assumed it was because of the visible age difference (which only appeared to be about five years) and fought the urge to needlessly explain that she was his future step-daughter and they were definitely not on a date or anything. Inuyasha was grateful when they made it into the building without any of Kagome's sweet "Thank you, Papa Yasha"s. He bought her a soda, popcorn and some chocolate she had been staring at, and she was so in awe of the people, sights, smells, and sounds that she didn't even notice. Loading up on food for himself, he carried everything to the theater, almost becoming cross with Kagome when she followed slowly, looking at every poster and cardboard set-up.

He sat directly in the middle, waiting for her to catch up, hoping she would find him in the dim lighting. When she didn't show up in the next couple of minutes, he became worried and twisted around, hoping she was wandering the theater. What he saw made him go completely rigid. Kagome stood by the entrance, talking to a group of boys. Boys her age. They seemed clean cut and friendly enough, smiling at her and saying things he couldn't hear that made her laugh. She chatted back innocently, and he narrowed his eyes at her. She didn't know how boys thought, not like he did. They shared the same thoughts regarding her, it was obvious, but he was not going to touch her so she was better off in his company. She blushed at something the leader of the group said, smiling her angel smile and turning her face away, scanning the crowd for him without success. She looked beautiful, he thought angrily, and he wasn't the only one who noticed.

Inuyasha stood up suddenly, marching over to where she was unknowingly flirting with boys whose intentions were not pure, not pure like she was. He grabbed her wrist while glaring at the group of boys, who of course weren't man enough to stop him or even attempt to glare back. Kagome waved and gave them an oblivious goodbye, and he almost wanted to shake her. He settled with roughly dropping her snacks in her lap once she sat down next to him. As if on cue, the lights dimmed and the previews started.

"What were you thinking?!" he hissed in her ear, unable to keep silent.

"What do you mean?" She turned to face him and they were nose to nose. He could feel her breath on his chin and he shivered.

"You were talking to those _boys_," he spat the word out like it was something filthy.

"What's wrong with that? I need to make friends," she mumbled.

"It's just—I didn't want you to miss the movie," he finished lamely, unable to put his feelings into words or even want to.

"Well, I'm here," she smiled gently at him and he almost wanted to turn around and smirk in triumph at the idiots who approached her. Kagome was _here_ and she was with _him_.

She shivered next to him and he leaned down to whisper again.

"You cold?"

She was in that little dress without a sweater, and they really cranked up the A/C in theaters these days. She nodded and he put the arm rest/cup holder up, first grabbing his soda in order to not splash some unlucky person behind them. He scooted a few inches closer until their sides were touching. He wanted to put his arm around her or give her his jacket, but unfortunately he was her future step-father and he had not thought to bring any kind of coat. She seemed satisfied with just his nearness and snuggled into him while munching on her popcorn, eyes intent on the screen. Inuyasha smiled down at her, proud he could make her so happy in just a couple hours. Every day with him would be a day she'd never forget, he vowed.

Finally, the movie started, and immediately he knew he had made a bad choice. It opened with a man and woman furiously going at it in a way that looked much too real to his eyes. He glanced at Kagome, feeling guilty when he saw her mouth open, unmasticated popcorn in it, eyes wide and horrified. Quickly, he placed a hand over her eyes, muttering, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry," over and over again in her ear, his tone desperately apologetic. "This was supposed to be a comedy!"

He felt her hand on his wrist, her delicate fingers gently pulling his hand from her eyes. "It's okay, Papa Yasha. It's just a movie," she said in her sweet voice, although it trembled slightly from nervousness. He allowed her to remove his hand, accidentally brushing her cheek and feeling the heat from her blush. He cursed himself. This was probably the first time she had ever seen anything like that. He knew she was a virgin, she had to be, she was just so completely _virginal_. Had she had sex ed? Had Kikyo explained the birds and the bees to her? Would—his eyes widened in terror—would he have to explain now that he'd opened that door? What if she told Kikyo? He'd definitely be in for it then.

The movie went on and although there were no more bouts of impropriety, he could not laugh with Kagome and the rest of the audience due to the degree of his anxiety. He kept glancing at her, just to see if she was uncomfortable. It seemed as though she had gotten over it completely, even glancing back at him and able to make eye contact much more comfortably than he was, moving even closer to him to steal more of his warmth so very casually.

Finally, it was over, and they were the first ones out of the theater even though Kagome had said she wanted to read the credits. Inuyasha couldn't stand being in that place any longer, what with the bad experience of the boys flirting with her and then accidentally popping her sex scene viewing cherry. He was doing his best to not think about it but it replayed in his head over and over and he was ashamed that he had chipped away at her perfect innocence. She would always be an angel to him, though.

"How'd you like the movie?" she chirped, unaware of his anxiety, only wanting to fill the silence.

"It was… alright."

She laughed. "You didn't seem like you were paying attention. You were staring at me the entire time," her eyes twinkled as he gaped at her. "Don't worry, I won't tell Mother. It'll be our secret." She said the last part in a low voice that he found very appealing and he turned away in order not to let her read his thoughts in his eyes.

"What do you want for dinner? And don't tell me to pick," he said, smoothly changing the subject as he pushed open the double doors of the exit.

"I wasn't going to," she said testily. "Mother told me about your taste in food and I don't like noodles very much. Let's get burgers!"

He drove to a nearby burger place, ordering through the drive-thru. He had seen a lot of young kids Kagome's age inside and did not want a repeat of earlier. She did deserve to make friends, but he didn't think she should be having male friends any time soon.

They chatted over their greasy dinner about anything and everything. He found out it was Kagome's first time having a burger from a fast food joint and he promised to take her more often. The more she opened up to him, the more he liked her, even as he tried to find things to dislike about her. She was quick to anger, stubborn, occasionally obnoxious, sometimes childish. But she was so nice, and funny, and smart, and pretty, and beautiful, and adorable and that's when he stopped making a list.

"You said you wanted to be a nurse, right?" he asked, sipping on his milkshake. Their food was long gone and they had been talking for the past hour, mostly about her, but that was how he directed the conversation.

Her eyes lowered and she sighed. "Yes, but Mother would never let me. You saw how she was." She blushed, probably thinking about their last meeting when she had gotten upset and cried in front of him.

"I would let you."

"I know Mother loves you, but I don't think even you could change her mind on this subject."

"I'll find a way. Trust me," he smiled at her and she looked up at him, trusting him but afraid to hope. It made his heart melt. "What made you want to be a nurse in the first place?"

Kagome leaned her head back on the seat, staring through the foggy windshield into the recesses of her memory. "Mother Teresa. She was so loving and without a thought for herself, so strong. Everything I'm not. I wanted to be like her ever since we saw a documentary on her when I was seven."

"So you want to be a nun?" he teased.

"_No_," she laughed, playfully slapping his arm. "I just want to help people. I want to help them die," she flinched. "That sounds morbid. I want to make people as comfortable as they can be, give them the understanding and care their loved ones can't." She stared at him sadly as she finished, not seeing him but something in her mind. He had a terrible urge to kiss her at that moment and so he looked down at his milkshake, fiddling with the straw.

"You really are an angel," he murmured and she smiled at him. "You're going to be whatever you want to be. I'll run Shikon for you when Kikyo—when she decides to hand it over to you. You'll get a paycheck and everything, just go be what you want to be."

"Thank you," she whispered.

They sat in silence after that. Kagome had been trying to get him to talk about himself, but got the picture after he answered her questions with more questions and didn't press him. He wanted to tell her everything, to have this be a real getting-to-know-one-another thing rather than just what felt to him like an interview. But he had lived a long time and done a great many things, most of them things he didn't want her to know about. And that's what made him feel the worst, that he had only ever felt this way once before and it had taken quite a bit more time for him to feel it. Only with Kikyo, his first real girlfriend, had he ever felt so attached.

Inuyasha blew bubbles into his milkshake, listening to Kagome's soft giggle at his actions. He was in love with his teenage step-daughter.


	5. It Only Takes a Moment

***Song for the chapter: I Wanna Be Loved By You by Helen Kane***

The drive home was quiet, with Kagome dozing off and him too stunned by the revelation that he had fallen in love with a girl after only meeting her twice to attempt conversation. He knew demons fell pretty damn fast, but how could it be love? Yet he was positive it was. It hadn't been this fast with Kikyo, although the strong attraction he had felt towards her had been immediate. He had heard of love at first sight before, but had always dismissed it as romantic bullshit. And honestly, when he first saw her he thought he was seeing Kikyo, a drastically younger Kikyo, but still Kikyo. Was that why? Did he feel this way because she looked so much like her mother? He shook his head violently. No, she was nothing like her. Kagome was small and soft and happy where Kikyo was tall and rigid and somber. He had loved her once, but that was a long time ago. What he felt for Kagome… it was as strong as what he once felt for Kikyo, but completely different. With Kikyo, he had been amazed someone actually wanted to get to know him instead of just fuck. She had seen him as a _person_, and he could never forget that. But Kagome made him feel, well, young. Not in years, but in spirit. He was happy being with her. But he could never really be _with_ her, and that thought depressed him so much he almost missed the turn to enter the forest that surrounded his home.

He stared at the slumbering girl next to him as he took his keys out of the ignition. Inuyasha wanted to carry her, to let her continue sleeping, but that would be weird. Gently, he nudged her shoulder with the tips of his fingers, watching her slowly come awake and open her brilliant eyes to look at him. She smiled and stretched, and he concentrated hard on the window instead of staring at the way she arched her back and how her breasts strained against the cotton of her dress.

"We're home?"

He smiled, happy she had referred to his place as her home. "Yeah. Your new stuff should be up in your room. Did you… Did you have a good time?" he asked uncertainly, even though he had been so sure of her happiness earlier in the evening.

"Definitely," she sighed as she opened the door. "Thank you for being so kind, Papa Yasha. You're the most wonderful man I've ever known." She stared into his eyes seriously, a small smile on her lips, and he nearly melted into a puddle at her feet but decided that would be too awkward. Instead, he rushed out of the car and opened the door before she even approached the steps leading up to the porch.

Running to his room in order to not get pulled into another conversation with Kagome that would make him feel even more for her than he already did, he pounced through his door just as he heard her call out a soft "Good night". He felt incredibly guilty, but not guilty enough to go back out. Kikyo still wasn't back yet and Kagome would be all alone in a new house, all alone with only him there…

Inuyasha flopped face down on the bed, determined not to think anymore, just to get to sleep and stay asleep. He would _not_ leave his room, he would _not_ offer to help Kagome put her things away, he would _not_ pretend to innocently slink back to his room and instead stay outside until he heard her breathing slow, and he most certainly would_ not_ use her as the star in his nightly ritual before he went off to sleep and ended up dreaming about her, which he would do because he wanted to and even if he didn't, his mind had a way of doing just what he told it not to so she'd probably be showing up in his dreams regardless. His thoughts in a jumble, he eventually drifted off to sleep, clutching a pillow to his chest that still had her scent on it.

He awoke earlier than he usually did on a Saturday, the sun having barely come up minutes before. Inuyasha assumed a sound had awoken him, so he trudged downstairs to check on what it was, eyes still blurry from sleep. He almost screamed when he saw Kagome bustling about his kitchen, wearing a very tight tank top and some shorts that would have been called underwear just a few years ago. He had forgotten about his new roommates.

"Making yourself at home, I see," he joked. She jumped, startled, and turned to look at him. All the cabinets were open as well as the fridge and freezer doors. She smiled apologetically.

"I was just checking to see what to make for breakfast, but there's literally nothing edible in here, just a few drinks," she said.

"You hungry?" he asked, yawning. He was not his best in the morning.

She nodded. "Are you?"

"Let's order a pizza, then."

"But… it's six AM."

"There's a place that delivers 24/7, don't worry about it."

"But… it's breakfast time."

"Do you want something else?" he questioned, suddenly feeling anxious. "I think there's a Chinese place that delivers at this time. Or we could go out again—"

"No, pizza's good. I'm just used to a more, um, regular routine."

"Alright. I've got my computer in my room, come up with me." He could have brought his laptop down, but he wanted her scent to fill his room once again. He lumbered back up the stairs, Kagome bouncing beside him.

"I think that every day with you is going to be filled with new things," she said happily.

He grinned. "I hope so."

He sat down on his bed, patting the space beside him, hoping she wouldn't gain a sense of propriety now. He wanted to be able to smell her on his sheets as well. She jumped onto the bed, no awkwardness, just innocence, and he smirked. Pulling out his laptop from under the bed, it was a quick few seconds before he was at the website he wanted.

"Since I eat a lot, we'll get two separate pizzas, alright? What do you want on yours?"

"Um, maybe, can you—"

"If you make me pick, I'll give you anchovies."

She scowled at him and grabbed his laptop, clicking a few times. "There."

"Pepperoni and onions? What?" He wrinkled his nose, imagining the taste on his sensitive tongue.

"You told me to pick. Now hurry up, I'm hungry," she said playfully.

"Whatever," he finished with the order and put his computer to the side. "It's Saturday. Do you want to stay in and be lazy or go out and do things?"

"Staying in and being lazy would be a new thing. I don't have any lessons today."

"You want to watch a movie? Or TV or something?" He couldn't really think of much else.

"Do you have any board games?" she asked.

"Board games? I don't think I've even played board games…" he trailed off.

"Me neither. But they always look so fun in commercials and stuff."

He nodded, agreeing with her. Inuyasha had never had anyone to play board games with, and even though he now had someone else who was interested in the mysterious world of Scrabble and Parcheesi, he didn't have a single one.

"I could call Myoga and he could bring us some," he suggested.

"Myoga is your assistant?" He nodded. "I don't think it would be good to wake him up so early."

He hadn't even thought of it being inconvenient for Myoga. They lapsed into silence again. Truthfully, he would be happy just hearing her talk, but if she wanted some entertainment then he would think of something.

"I know!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "Do you have any pictures of you and Mother, like a photo album or something? I would love to see some of you together. Mother only had a few. You can tell me all about how you met and fell in love and all that," she smiled.

His ears drooped and he laid his head down on the pillow. What would he say to her? He didn't have any photos of him and Kikyo left, they had been tossed out long ago. He had no desire to relive the past, either. Their courtship had been very normal, the things he remembered most being the proposal and the break-up. And the sex, but of course she wouldn't want to know about that.

"Is Kikyo back yet?"

Kagome sighed. "Mother is still gone. I was hoping she'd be back by breakfast so we could eat together like a real family."

The doorbell rang, startling both of them, and he jumped up. "Can you hand me my wallet?" She reached for the black leather on the nightstand and her top rode up, exposing her stomach, which he admired with greedy eyes before she quickly tossed the wallet onto his lap.

"You should probably put some pants on or something before you answer the door," she said, eyes sparkling mischievously as she slid off the bed and exited the room.

He looked down to see himself only in his boxers. "Fuck," he mumbled, angry with his lack of modesty.

Again, they did nothing but talk about anything and everything, mostly about Kagome and her dreams and plans. Inuyasha tried to keep the information about himself to a bare minimum, only telling Kagome his age to see if it would disgust her. Instead, she was enthralled, and not like he was a curiosity or something. She wanted to know all about him, how he remembered certain significant historical events, where he was, what he was doing. He answered only enough to barely satisfy her curiosity, trying not to outright lie which was becoming harder and harder.

They spent all weekend alone with each other, ordering delivery and watching movies, but mostly just talking. He couldn't remember the last time he had been so happy. All good things come to an end, of course, and this good thing ended on Sunday evening with a call from Myoga.

"Sir, the Higurashi girl—"

"Kagome," he interrupted moodily.

"_Kagome_ will be attending Saint Angelus's High School tomorrow. I've emailed you her schedule. Her uniform should be arriving now."

The doorbell rang and he answered it, taking the plastic-draped clothes without even looking at the deliverer.

"So soon?" he asked, trying not to sound as disappointed as he felt.

"You told me to enroll her and I did so."

"Yes, but—Never mind, good work."

He ended the call, leaning against the door.

"Was that the Indian food?"

Kagome walked out to where he was, faltering a bit when she saw his slumped posture and sensed the general air of misery about him. He straightened, trying to recapture the mood they had shared all weekend. It was stupid of him to think he could keep her all to himself.

"That was just Myoga. Your new uniform is here."

She smiled, but he could feel her sadness and his heart soared. He tried to reason with himself that it wasn't because she wanted to stay with him, that she had enjoyed their time together so much she had begun to see him as himself and not just something attached to Kikyo.

"Oh… I-I'm scared," she whispered, eyes filling with tears.

This was definitely not what he had been expecting. Going to her, he gathered her in his arms, trying to make the hug feel friendly. They were friends, right? And it was just a hug, nothing wrong with that.

"What are you scared of?" he whispered soothingly.

"I just… I don't like being alone," she choked out. "People can be so mean, and being with you was so nice I almost forgot what it was like before."

"They'll love you," he protested. A mad urge came upon him suddenly. He wanted to tell her how he felt. But it was just so wrong and in any case far, far too soon. And he needed her friendship, he realized. If he lost her, the wound her absence would leave behind would be too great.

"I'm being stupid," she muttered, trying to smile but not succeeding due to the trembling of her lips.

"No," he said firmly. "No. Just be yourself."

"Will you—Never mind," she whispered, pushing away from him and turning to go upstairs.

"Will I what?" he asked urgently.

"Will you, um, drop me off? And maybe pick me up? It's just… I don't know anyone and you make me feel comfortable. I'd be a lot less scared if you saw me off the first time."

He had been planning on assigning her a driver, but he liked the idea of spending more time with Kagome, brief though it would be. It would take some rearranging of his schedule, but work no longer seemed so important. He smiled. "Sure. I'll be your chauffer for as long as you want."

She answered his grin with another one of her angel smiles. "Thank you, Papa Yasha. I'm going to go try on my uniform and see how it fits."

"Cool. Come down and show me after," he mentally slapped himself for how creepy that sounded, but she only nodded and skipped up to her room, coming back down mere minutes later in one of the worst excuses for a schoolgirl outfit he had ever seen. Clearly, the people in charge of her school were perverts. The skirt was short and pleated and green, barely reaching her thighs. The top was white and partially see-through, riding up when she put a hand on the bannister. The red tie drew attention to her breasts and the knee-socks she wore made the entire thing seem like a fetish costume. Or maybe the clothes were just fine and _he _was the pervert.

"How do I look?" she asked, biting her lip worriedly.

Inuyasha could do nothing but stare, words gone. His body begged for action, but he still retained enough brain power to refuse it. How long had it been since he'd been with a woman, really been with one? Not since… Kikyo. The thought of her was enough to calm him down and let him breathe again.

"Uh, it's, uh—"

He thanked every god he could think of when the doorbell rang again. Grabbing the plastic bags, he thrust all the money in his wallet at the delivery boy, happy enough to kiss the kid's pathetic attempt at a moustache off. The guy looked down at the money in his hands, looked at the dazed expression on Inuyasha's face, and promptly took off, waving good night. He had gotten fifty dollars extra and morals be damned, he didn't want to give it back.

The few seconds he had spent at the door had been enough time to compose his features into a mask of reserved, polite, friendly, fatherly interest, hopefully one that would not make Kagome feel bad.

"It's too small," she muttered to herself, tugging on the hem of her shirt, making it even tighter around the breasts. His mouth went dry and he lost the words he was about to give her.

"You're beautiful," he blurted. And it was true. Those clothes didn't make her look beautiful, but she was in spite of them.

She looked up, surprised. "Th-thank you," she stuttered out. "No one's ever said that to me before," she said quietly, an awkward blush beginning to steal across her cheeks. It was so light it almost looked like a sun burn and he wanted to cup her face and feel exactly how warm she was.

"I can guarantee you'll be hearing it a lot more often," he said fondly. Then it occurred to him: she probably would be hearing it more often. Kagome had told him she had only ever gone to all-girl's schools before. Now she would be around boys, and she was sure to attract a lot of attention. Jealousy rose up in him and he had to stop himself from calling Myoga and have him pull her out. Going to this school meant a lot to her and he didn't want to be like Kikyo.

"I'll go change back into my other clothes," she said, drawing nearer to him. She reached out and pulled him into a hug, which he returned as best he could. "You change my life for the better every day. I'm so glad you're my father."

She ran back up to her room without another look at him and he dropped the food, hearing a styrofoam box or two break at the impact. It was hopeless. For once, he wanted something he couldn't have and he wanted it so badly he felt like screaming. It was just like him to fall into such a fucked up situation. And poor Kagome was ignorant of his feelings, the pure ones and the not so pure ones. He had not touched himself or sought out company since he met her, and although that was less than a week ago he was already almost foaming at the mouth with need. But he just couldn't do it. He could not dishonor her that way in his mind, and he could not dishonor her by being with someone else. He was stuck.

He didn't sleep at all that night. Kagome had chattered away happily during dinner, even giving him a kiss on the cheek when she went up to bed, which would have made him ecstatic under other circumstances. All he could do as he lay in bed that night was imagine her next to him, not daring to go farther than that. Being with her just felt so good and right. He was happy. But they could never be together. She didn't even want to be together.

He knocked on Kagome's door at exactly seven, knowing she was an early riser. He made a mental note to buy her an alarm clock or something before she got back from school. She declined his offer of breakfast, which just would have been microwaved leftovers anyway, and they set off, her anxious and excited and him pensive. The school was close by, only about fifteen miles from their home. They made it there in as many minutes. He pulled right up to the entrance, ignoring the angry looks from the students and adults he almost ran over when Kagome placed a hand on his knee.

"I'm so nervous," she confided. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"You don't have to go today," he said. "You can wait until you're more comfortable with the idea. I know it was sudden."

"No," she shook her head. "I'm definitely going. Wish me luck," she said with a smile. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek while he wondered whether or not it would be weird if he kissed her the same way.

"If you feel sick or need anything, just call me on my cell."

"I don't have a phone," she said, distracted. She was attempting to unbuckle her seat belt but it was caught on her backpack. He helped untangle her, indulging himself and reaching out to smooth her unruly bangs affectionately.

"I'll just put it on the list of things to buy so you can be normal," he teased.

Kagome shot him a playful glare and slid out of the car. "I'll be out at three," she called out.

He waved sadly at her, watching her bounce up the steps in that energetic manner only she had. Deciding to take off work, he sat in bed all day surfing the internet, trying not to worry about Kagome or wonder what she was doing. He called Kikyo as he had several times in the past couple of days, but her phone was still off and he was not very surprised to find he didn't care. He called Myoga and had him pick out a phone and computer and laptop for Kagome. After a nap, he saw it was almost time to pick Kagome up and he left, the anticipation of seeing her making him feel better than he had all day.

She was standing right where he had dropped her off, and he smiled at her although of course she couldn't see through the tinted windows. She jumped into the car, telling him in a happy tone all about her day. Without really listening to the words, he concentrated on her voice, feeling himself almost melt into the sound. Just a few hours without her after only knowing her for a few days and he was this affected.

"—and I made a friend. His name is Hojo and he's going to tutor me in geometry. He's really nice and—"

"Woah, wait. What?" he said, trying to sound calm.

"I made a friend," she repeated, smiling at him brightly. "His name's Hojo and he's going to tutor me."

"_He_."

"Yes. What's wrong?" she asked, confused.

"It's just—boys at this age are difficult to be friends with. When you're a girl, anyway."

She laughed. "Don't worry about Hojo. I've never met anyone nicer. He even gave me a present when he offered to be my tutor."

"A present?" he repeated, grinding his teeth. She had said _he _was nice just yesterday. Did she just go around handing out compliments like that? "What kind of present?"

"A boring one," she replied, sounding disappointed. "But it's still nice. It's a book on foods that will help your brain work faster or whatever. I only read like half of the back cover."

Inuyasha relaxed somewhat. It wasn't flowers or chocolates or anything to be worried about. This kid was either an idiot or gay.

"So, did you have fun?"

"Mmhmm! It was nice. I almost never had friends before, especially when it was so late in the semester. But after Hojo started talking to me it seems like everybody wanted to be friends. I even got invited to a couple parties."

"That's wonderful," he muttered. There would be no more blissful weekends like the one they had just spent.

"I said no to all that, though. Mother would be angry. Besides, I would much rather hang out with you instead. You're more fun than all of them. I missed you today," she said right as they arrived at the house.

He looked at her, taking the keys out of the ignition. She was looking at him still and the silence filled the car. Time always seems to slow down when you're staring into another person's eyes. Kagome still had a small smile on her face and he wanted to take her into his arms and really welcome her home. She broke the spell by blushing and stammering out something about homework, leaving him alone in the car with nothing but her scent and that stupid book the kid had given her left on her seat. The fact she had forgotten about it so quickly made his heart leap in his chest. He would be able to be around her and not be with her as long as she wasn't with anyone. Grabbing the book, he stepped out of the car and threw it as far as he could, which was pretty damn far. Smiling to himself, he walked into the house, wondering what to order for dinner.


	6. Til the Sunrise

***Song for the chapter: Sunship Balloons by The Flaming Lips***

A week went by and they fell into a rhythm. Kagome now had a cell phone, which she used only as an alarm and an Inuyasha summoning device. Sometimes she called Kikyo, but she rarely ever answered. Since Inuyasha's ears were so sensitive, the alarm always woke him too. They would have microwaved leftovers for breakfast and then he would drop her off and wait around until it was time to pick her up again. They'd talk about her day over dinner and she'd kiss him good night on the cheek, sometimes on the forehead, and he would always hold absolutely still and close his eyes as she did so, which made her laugh. And then Kikyo came back.

It was right after he had picked Kagome up from school. He was perusing the take-out menus, debating the pros and cons of pizza versus sandwiches, when the door opened. Kagome was doing her homework out by the Goshinboku as usual, and she always used the back door so he knew it wasn't her. Confused, he stepped out to the entrance, wondering if it was Myoga or something. When he saw Kikyo, his heart felt like it was going to burst. There stood the first woman he had ever loved. He suddenly felt all the guilt over his desire for her daughter that he had so far managed to repress. How could he? How could he do such a thing to Kikyo?

She greeted him pleasantly, unaware of his internal struggle. "Ah, Inuyasha. Aren't you supposed to be at work? It's only four."

"I took off early," he muttered. In truth, he had not been to work the entire time Kagome had been living with him. He had dealt with everything over the phone and so far nothing bad seemed to have happened.

"Where is Kagome?" Kikyo asked, distracted. She had something on her mind.

"Out by the tree doing her homework. I enrolled her in—"

"That's nice. Are you busy?"

"I was just about to—"

Kikyo threw her arms around him and brought her face to his. Immediately, he saw Kagome with her Christmas angel smile and pushed Kikyo away, rougher than he had intended. She stumbled back, shock on her face. Quickly, she regained her bearing, becoming even more rigid than before.

"I want this to be a real marriage, Inuyasha."

He rolled his eyes. "You had your chance at a real marriage with me, Kikyo."

"Perhaps… Perhaps this was not the right choice."

"What do you mean?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"I _mean_," she hissed, "maybe it would be better if I just left. It's been a week already and you have made no progress with finding out who is after my company."

He winced. He had completely forgotten about that. "I'm sorry, Kikyo. Just give me a little more time—"

"I don't _have_ more time!" she screamed. "I am dying. I can barely manage to keep myself going with what little powers I have left. You were my last hope, but now I see I was foolish and regressing to the idiocy of my youth. I should just take Kagome and go back home. Suikotsu could convince his brothers to help me. He's a man who gets things done."

Inuyasha felt like he was going to have a panic attack. She wanted to take Kagome away. That couldn't happen. He couldn't go back to the way things were.

"Kikyo, I—"

"Save it," she said severely, turning her back to him. "I don't know if I'll be back tonight."

She went out the door and he sank into his favorite armchair. He looked down. The menu was torn to shreds in his hands, damp with the sweat from his palms. A need arose in him, a need to see Kagome, to reassure himself that she was still there. Running with inhuman speed, he made his way to the Goshinboku, Kagome's favorite spot. She was sitting peacefully, a look of concentration on her face, and he could breathe again. The dark sunlight from the sunset was on her hair, and if he squinted it looked like a halo.

Sensing him somehow, she looked up. "Papa Yasha!" she said, surprised and pleased. The expression on her face soothed him and he sat beside her. He usually never bothered her when she did her homework, even though he really wanted to, but this was different. He needed her.

"Kagome," he breathed, reaching a hand out to stroke her hair. He desperately wanted to feel her skin, to see if it was cool from the breeze or warm from the setting sun. He wanted to know exactly how soft she was.

"What brings you out here?" she chirped happily, closing her book.

"I—" He stopped himself.

"You what?"

"I… I proposed to your mother under this tree," he murmured, turning away from her to look up into the leaves.

"I know. That's why I like it here so much." He could hear the smile in her voice.

"I don't love her. I don't love her, Kagome," he said in a rough whisper. He could no longer keep it to himself.

She was silent for a few beats. "That's—No, that's not true. You're getting married!"

"She doesn't love me either."

She shook her head and he could smell the tears starting. "That's _not true_!" she yelled, scrambling to her feet.

"Yes, it is," he said as he stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders, giving her a mild shake. He didn't know why, but he was suddenly angry at her, at himself, at Kikyo.

"Then we're going to leave? We're going to go back?" she whispered, the tears finally spilling over onto her face.

"No, Kagome," he murmured soothingly. "I'll never send you away."

"So you're still getting married?"

He hesitated, then made up his mind. "Yes."

"But—but why? If you don't… And Mother doesn't…" Her tears began to fall faster.

"Kagome," he breathed again. He had somehow become so close to her he could see himself reflected in her watery, brilliant eyes. For the first time, he noticed the flecks of violet-blue in them. Without thinking, he closed the distance between them, pressing his wanting, seeking lips to her trembling ones. He saw her eyes go wide and then he closed his own, lost in the feeling of finally having her soft lips on his. Tentatively, he licked her lower lip, only coming back to his senses when he heard a soft sob come from his companion.

He pulled away quickly, hands still on her shoulders. Kagome's eyes were big and unblinking, and although her tears had stopped she was still breathing as though she were crying. A delicate hand came up and she touched her plump lower lip with a single finger.

"Is—is it because… I look like Mother?" she questioned softly. Without waiting for an answer, she wrenched away from him and took off, running madly toward the house.

Snapping himself out of his daze, he started after her. "No, Kagome wait!"

Cursing his thoughtlessness, he ran into the house, wondering why he was so slow. He should have been able to beat her there. Hearing her door slam, he hastened his pace, tugging on the door knob only to discover it was locked.

"Kagome! Kagome, I'm sorry. Open the door, we need to talk!" He knocked, but there was no response. Inuyasha began to worry. Did she hate him now? Would she tell Kikyo? Frantically, he turned the knob and knocked again. "Kagome, open the door or I will break it down!"

Nothing. Silence.

"I'm really going to do it!" he threatened. Still nothing. Taking a deep, agitated breath, he backed up and rushed the door. Right as his shoulder made contact with the wood, he felt a rush come over him and he realized: it was the night of the new moon. He was human now. And the doors were very solid.

"Fuck!" he yelled. His shoulder throbbed painfully and he knew he'd have a nasty bruise there until he regained his demonic healing abilities.

"P-Papa Yasha? Are you okay?" he heard Kagome say from behind the door. Finally, she turned the knob, her worried expression changing into one of fear as soon as she saw him. Screaming, she slammed the door in his face.

"Wait, it's _me_! Kagome, it's me. Inuyasha."

The door opened again, slowly this time. She was holding her phone in one hand, a lamp in the other, and dropped them to the ground with a loud bump as she stared at him. "Is it… really you?" she whispered. He nodded.

"What happened to you?" She reached a hand out toward him and stopped, quickly bringing it back to her side.

"All half-demons have their night of weakness. A night where they turn human," he sighed. "Only you, your mom, and Myoga know about this. It's a secret, okay? Don't tell anyone."

"I miss your eyes," she whispered suddenly.

He looked at her in surprise. "I—thank you. About earlier—"

"Don't worry, I won't say anything to Mother."

"No, that's not it," he insisted. "I want to apologize. I'm so, so incredibly sorry. I don't know what came over me," he lied. He really wasn't sorry. How could he be sorry for something he'd wanted so badly? If he was sorry about anything, it was her reaction.

"That… was my first kiss." She touched a finger to her lip again, looking bewildered. Her eyes met his, confusion still in them. "It was nice. Thank you?"

He covered up his glee with a laugh, saying, "You're welcome. And I'm sorry about trying to break your door down like some kind of freak. I always get kind of emotional on my human nights. So… what do you say we order pizza?"

Her lips slowly formed a smile and nodded, telling him to pick whatever and going back into her room. Kagome was obviously still confused about the whole situation and unsure of him now, but he could not for the life of him let himself feel bad. He had finally kissed her, and it was perfect. Well, not _perfect_, since she had kind of just been standing there shocked and unresponsive, but it was sweet and nice. And it had been her first kiss. You never forget your first kiss. Inuyasha smirked to himself.

Dialing Kikyo's number, he made his way downstairs to his favorite chair. He hadn't expected her to answer, but she did. He almost hung up, not having a speech prepared.

"Er, um, hey Kikyo!"

"I assume you've called to apologize," she said icily.

"Uh, yeah. It's just… things are moving really quickly between the two of us. You… you really hurt me, Kikyo. I can't just pick up where we left off. I need time," he murmured, trying to sound sincere.

Kikyo sighed. "I understand. But I really want this to work, Inuyasha. I need this to work. I want to make things right. Let's have our wedding on January first."

He froze, his tongue feeling like a rock in his mouth. That was only a few months away. "Sure. I've got to go now. Bye."

She murmured her farewell and he hung up, feeling numb. It was late October. January first? The day she left him? But if he married her, he could keep Kagome. He would do anything to keep Kagome, especially now.

He ordered their usual and the pizza arrived quickly, as it always did. Inuyasha suspected he was their main client. He rarely went out and never cooked. Kagome quietly made her way downstairs, obviously having heard the doorbell. She was dressed in her pajamas although it was still early.

"I, uh, got the usual thing," he muttered.

"Thanks."

"I really don't want us to be awkward," he said desperately, his voice sounding too loud in the echoing, empty room.

"It's not," she said quickly. Too quickly. He gave her a look and her shoulders slumped. "Okay, it is," she took a deep breath and looked him in the eye. "You're my best friend. I'm not going to let anything ruin that."

The emotions rushed through him so fast he didn't even have time to identify them. "You're my best friend, too."

They stood just looking at each other, both wondering what to do and how to act. Finally, Kagome broke the silence. "Let's eat!"

He nodded and turned on the TV, flipping it to a cartoon he found entertaining for some reason. Kagome sat on the couch next to him, closer than she ever had before, obviously determined not to feel awkward. They ate in silence, both pretending to be watching the goings-on of the poorly drawn characters.

"I'm uh, going to go to bed," she announced, standing up. "Will you be up much longer?"

"I never sleep on my human night," he muttered, mouth full of pizza.

"Oh. Do you…want me to stay up? Keep you company? It's Friday so it won't be a problem."

Glancing up at her, he saw her shy sincerity. "It's okay. I'm used to going it alone."

She huffed and plopped back down next to him. "Saying something like that just ensures I'll stay by your side."

Surprised, he put down his pizza and was about to protest when she gave him a stubborn look and he knew anything he said would be useless. "Thank you," he said quietly, placing his clawless hand on one of hers.

She stared at him, a look of wonder on her face. "You… Wow, everything's so different but still the same."

"How so?" he asked, genuinely curious. He had never really bothered to examine himself during this time, being angry it existed in the first place. Usually he did everything he could to forget he was experiencing it.

Kagome blushed. "Your eyes. The shape is the same and I can still see you in there, your soul, but the color... I just associated the color gold with you so much that it's shocking. But the color you have now is still so beautiful. It's black and gray and purple, even."

"Go on," he smirked, enjoying her innocent fascination.

Giggling, she ran her fingers through a lock of his hair that was now as dark as hers. "I loved the way your hair was before, but this is nice, too. I never noticed before, but your hair is so weird. I think we have almost the same haircut. Your bangs are so like mine. They're kind of all over the place. Did you cut it yourself after seeing a Zooey Deschanel movie too?"

They both laughed, their previous awkwardness forgotten, the experience only bringing them closer. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand, and he became self-conscious, worrying that he had grease on his fingers or sauce under his nails. He wasn't the neatest eater.

"Are your claws really, really sharp?" she murmured, the pad of her thumb running over the edge of his now flat pinky nail.

"Sharp enough," he said hoarsely. The gentle way she cradled his hand made him ache, body and soul, for her.

"Sharp enough to what?" she asked, eyes meeting his.

"To kill," he confessed in a whisper.

Kagome smiled. "Now you're just trying to scare me. I don't believe what some people do. I don't think you're a killer just because you're built like one."

Inuyasha said nothing, and eventually she drifted off to sleep, her head on his shoulder. He stroked her hair in the dark, forcing himself to remember the face of every life he'd ended in order to remind himself of why he wasn't good enough for her and never would be. He ran through them and wasn't even half-way done when the sun came up.


	7. Shame

**Note: You guys are so stingy with reviews. I am a delicate flower, and if I am not showered with compliments, I shall wither and die. Do you really want that on your conscience?**

***Song for the chapter: Shame by PJ Harvey***

Kagome led her guest into the house, holding his hand since he was walking slowly, distracted by everything. Hojo had promised to tutor her today. She had told Inuyasha that morning that she would be getting a ride home with a friend today, and although he looked disappointed she knew he had been wanting to get back to work and put in a full day for a while. Hojo had his own car, and while it wasn't the flashiest thing on the block, it was still nice. Kind of like its owner, Kagome mused to herself, immediately feeling guilty.

"Would you like anything to drink, Hojo?" she asked, remembering her manners. The brown-haired boy smiled vaguely at her and grinned.

"Whatever you have is fine with me, Higurashi," he said pleasantly. She smiled at him while wondering if he even knew her first name.

"Let's see," she said, peering into the refrigerator. There were a few cans of beer, a now flat half-empty bottle of soda, and what appeared to be a pitcher of something. "We've got, um, iced tea?"

She grabbed the pitcher and placed it on the counter, reaching into the cabinet below to pull out two glasses. Pouring a generous amount into each glass, she handed one to Hojo and took the other for herself. He took a sip, immediately grimacing.

"Th-this isn't iced tea," he choked out.

Kagome sipped from her own glass, confused, her expression soon matching his own. It had sure looked like iced tea. But it tasted like something else. It was gross and it burned her throat. She put her glass down and wiped her mouth, sticking her tongue out and making a gagging noise. Hojo laughed and she took his hand again.

"Let's go up to my room," she said, followed by a giggle. Suddenly everything seemed hilarious.

"Sure, Kagurashi."

Inuyasha left the building an hour early, speeding back home. Work seemed so boring and tedious now. He knew it was because of Kagome. He regretted allowing her to get a ride home without even knowing who her friend was. And he missed her. He preferred sitting around and waiting to go see her again to sitting around and barking out orders while pretending to go over paperwork.

There was an unfamiliar car in his driveway and he considered "accidentally" scratching it with his keys, but then decided not to take his frustration out on some poor kid's shitty property. It wasn't their fault he was in love and in a hopeless situation. Feeling generous, he pushed open the door, immediately bounding up the stairs when he heard Kagome moan loudly from her room. Was she hurt?

Wrenching open the door to her room, Inuyasha walked in on the last thing he expected to see. Kagome was on her back on her cloud-like angel bed, legs hanging off the edge, her nearly sheer uniform blouse unbuttoned all the way and falling off her shoulders. There was a mousy-haired boy in between her breasts, muttering something about love and iced tea. Neither of them even noticed his presence until he roared, "What the _fucking_ fuck?!"

The boy turned around and Inuyasha wasted no time, immediately punching him in the face, barely remembering to hold back at the last second lest he kill him. The kid didn't even attempt to fight back, so he took pity and grabbed him by the collar, dragging him out of the room and down the stairs, tossing him out the door.

"If I ever catch you around Kagome again, I will rip your fucking throat out," he growled. The boy, obviously getting the message, struggled to his feet and weaved back to his car.

Spitting on the ground to express his disgust in a crude habit he had not indulged in decades, he ran with inhuman speed back to Kagome. His anger fled when he saw the dazed look on her face, as though she had been drugged or—

"Kagome, what did you do?" he whispered with concern, sniffing around her, his nose answering his question. She had found his "demon juice". It was a special alcohol made for demons by demons since regular alcohol didn't do the trick with their metabolism. Kagome, not knowing what it was, had consumed it and now she was drunk off her ass. This was all his fault.

"He asked to kiss me, Inuyasha," she murmured lazily. His eyes shot to hers, shocked she had used his actual name. Kagome was still half-naked and not at all concerned about that, leaning back on her elbows and looking down at where he knelt before her. "You didn't ask. I like your way better."

"Kagome," he whispered. He felt incredibly guilty for again tarnishing her perfect innocence. Actual foreplay was so much worse than just glimpsing a sex scene in a theater. What would Kikyo say? His gaze traveled down to her breasts, where the boy's saliva still glistened. Intending only to remove every trace of him, Inuyasha reached out with both hands and, without thinking, ran his thumbs over her nipples, wiping the clear substance off. She moaned and arched her back, whispering his name. Glancing back up at her, shocked, he stared into her darkened eyes. They demanded something from him, something he knew a lot about and she didn't. Entranced, he repeated the movement of his thumbs, this time slower and with a longer stroke, caressing her. She bit her lip and urged him on with her gaze.

Unable to fight his own desires any longer, he rose up and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her the way he really wanted to. She was sloppy and inexperienced but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that she was responding. Her arms circled his neck and he pressed his entire body into her, running his hands up her thighs and sides, memorizing her smoothness.

"Inuyasha," Kagome moaned, kissing along his cheek and jaw. There was a fire in her eyes now, one that matched his own, and he pressed his clothed erection into her, delighting in her surprised gasp. Kissing and licking his way down her body, he soon arrived at her breasts and introduced them to his tongue. She arched her back into his mouth and pressed down on his head, begging him without words. Placing a gentle kiss on the nipple he was currently toying with, he sucked hard several times, ears twitching when she practically screamed at the new sensations, then he switched to the other. Her hips sought what he had to offer and she brought them up repeatedly, rubbing against him.

He felt her hand trail down his side, pausing to sneak under his shirt and lightly touch his abdominal muscles before she shocked him and boldly ventured into his pants, grabbing his cock and touching it just so. His surprise at her actions brought him back to reality and he yanked himself off of her, disgusted at the way he had eagerly almost raped his step-daughter. A part of himself whispered that she had wanted this, whispered to him that all he had to do was look at her and take a deep breath to reassure himself, but he shook his head. She was young, she was intoxicated, she didn't know what she was doing whereas he did.

"Um, Kagome, I'm going to get you some water and let you take a nap, alright?"

She rose up onto her elbows again, the peaks of her breasts this time shining with his saliva, something he took a sick pride in. He was standing just at the edge of her bed, in between her spread legs which were still hanging off the bed, her feet almost touching the floor.

"No," she said stubbornly, almost yelling. "You kissed me before and you touched me today _and_ kissed me. You can't just run away after that."

"You're drunk," he said urgently, continuing when she shook her head. "You had some of my special liquor. It's really, really, really strong and even a sip would make a human completely inebriated."

"I am not drunk and you shouldn't use such big words," she said, wrapping her legs loosely around him.

He knew he should untangle himself from this mess, but the way she was looking at him turned him to stone. Kagome kept eye contact with him as she reached down, slowly, and lifted up her skirt. His gaze followed her movements and he watched, fascinated and more aroused than he could ever remember being, as her slender fingers pushed the tiny scrap of white cotton that was her underwear to the side and fluttered down along her slit, coming back up to rub her clit.

"I want you to keep doing what you were doing," she said.

He nodded, hypnotized by the sight of her touching herself in front of him. He fell to his knees, pushed her hand out of the way, ripped off her panties, and took a long, slow lick from bottom to top. As expected, she tasted divine. She shivered and he licked her again and again, driving his tongue into her while rubbing her clit with a clawed finger, then he switched and stuck his fingers into her hole and licked and sucked her clit. Kagome squirmed and moaned, panting his name. When she was close, he withdrew his tongue from her and rose up to kiss her, his fingers still at work. He pushed her down from her elbows to her back as he shoved her shredded panties into his pocket, the force with which he did so making her eyes open. Leaning on his own elbow, he stared into her eyes, his free hand coming up to toy with her nipple, pinching and tugging on the rosy little nub.

"Cum for me, Kagome," he said in a low, hoarse voice, barely holding back a growl, not wanting to scare her.

She obeyed with a loud cry, clenching around his fingers rapidly, covering them in her cum. He watched her face, studying its every detail. Her eyes were shut tight and her nose was wrinkled, the few light freckles she had, which he was positive no one else besides the two of them noticed, now nowhere to be seen. Her upper lip trembled and a tear released from each eye, running down her temples and into her midnight hair. The face she made when lost to pleasure fascinated him and he wanted to see it again and again and again. Shuddering almost violently, she reached and held his hand that had been playing with her breast, twining their fingers together, her eyes opening and the look on her face confused, pleased, and startled. Inuyasha kissed her deeply, mentally rejoicing in his success. Not only had he given Kagome her first kiss, he had given her her first orgasm as well. She had been so tight around his fingers and had always behaved in such a way that he now knew for certain she was a super virgin. She had never even touched herself.

Their kiss became more gentle and soft as he tried to communicate his feelings of love to her using only his lips. He took his fingers from her, amazed she was still experiencing aftershocks, and broke the kiss, intending to tell her everything.

"Kagome," he whispered, staring into her still dazed eyes. "I—have to go."

He was up and out the door before she could say anything, closing it silently behind him as he sped toward his room. Slamming the door, he fell to his knees with his back still against it. What had he just done? There was no way that things could stay the same after this. He was a terrible person.

He continued berating himself as he reached down and unzipped his pants, pulling out his throbbing cock and stroking it, remembering how Kagome's hand had felt in the brief instant she had touched him there. Licking his lips, he tasted her juices, growling as he recalled what he had just done. He fumbled around in his pocket until he grasped the small piece of cloth he had stored there just minutes before. He pressed it to his nose and inhaled deeply, then brought it to his mouth and licked the crotch more savagely than he had Kagome. Switching hands, he sucked on his still wet fingers, letting out a groan that almost sounded pained as he came, hard, shuddering just as Kagome had. He looked at the mess in front of him, fingers still in his mouth. He had never cum so hard or so soon just from masturbating. Tucking his now flaccid cock back into his pants, he collapsed on the bed face down, too unsure of himself to even move, her ruined panties beside him.


	8. Poison

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews! I urge you to keep it up. They make me super happy, and I like to know what you're thinking when you read. It's a huge help and your encouragement means absolutely **_**everything**_**. This story's a bit of an embarrassment, and all the kind words make me want to come back and post another after this one is done. =]**

***Song for the chapter: Poison by Meg Myers***

Inuyasha was still afraid the next morning, trying not to remember what he had done to Kagome yesterday as it only made him more anxious and aroused. He wondered if she'd even remember. Not remembering would be worse than remembering, and the thought almost made him hyperventilate. The worst part was that he didn't really regret it. She hadn't been truly present and participating, he knew that, but that experience with her was more than he had allowed himself to dream of and he would take the memory to his grave, one brief moment of… he didn't know what to call it, but he knew he'd think about it every day until he either died or went crazy.

He waited until he heard the front door close, signaling that Kagome had called a car and left for school. Cursing his cowardliness, he slipped out of his room only to come face to face with the very one he was trying to avoid. How the heck did she do that? They stared at each other, and despite his guilt and previous attempt at avoiding her, he was glad to see her. Not daring to take his eyes from hers, he leaned back on the opposite side of the door he had masturbated against the night before, allowing her to make the first move.

"We need to talk, Papa Yasha," she said.

He flinched. So they were back to that. At least she didn't sound mad. Kagome broke eye contact and walked downstairs, expecting him to follow. She led him to the sitting room and gestured toward his arm chair, taking a seat on the sofa for herself. It was all so formal he almost wanted to laugh, but decided it was best not to under the circumstances.

"I believe we can both agree that what happened last night was a mistake," she said primly, doing her best impression of Kikyo. He rolled his eyes.

"Cut the shit and be yourself, Kagome," he spat out, suddenly upset. A mistake? Maybe for her, but she had enjoyed herself regardless.

She glared at him, tears forming in her eyes. "Don't act like you know me," she hissed. "We've hardly met and we've already—already—"

"Look, please don't cry," he pleaded. "I'm sorry, and I know that's not enough, it can never be enough."

"What will Mother say?" she whispered, horrified.

"Nothing. Because we're not going to tell her, okay? Neither of us wants that," he said urgently.

"But how—Alright," she nodded, following with a sigh. "I'm sorry, too. This never would have happened if I weren't so stupid."

"You're not stupid. This was all my fault! I should have thrown that drink out before you moved in."

"What did you do to Hojo?"

"Is that the boy you… you were with?"

Kagome blushed. "Yes. I need to apologize to him, too. This is all so terrible."

"I showed him the door, then I went back to take care of you," he muttered, his poor choice of words making him blush as well.

Kagome fidgeted nervously in her seat, biting her lip like she had before until she noticed how his eyes were drawn to it. "Um, I'm late for school, so I'll just…"

"I'll take you."

"No, it's fine," she insisted, not looking at him.

He sighed. "I'll drop you off just this last time, okay? I'll get a car for you from now on. I think it's best if maybe we stopped hanging out so much. I've been… attracted to you ever since I first saw you," he finally confessed, feeling his heart twist in his chest as she turned her face away and appeared to be trying not to listen. "I'm sorry I took advantage of your vulnerability like that and I understand if you don't want to be friends."

"You're still my best friend," she said, eyes on her feet. "I just think we need to, like you said, not hang out so much. We spent a lot of time together and it was obviously unhealthy and we formed attachments we shouldn't have. I don't want you to feel so bad about yesterday because," she closed her eyes, "because I liked what you did to me even though I knew it shouldn't have happened. I—I think you are very nice and handsome and just great and when you—when you _touched_ me like that…" she stopped, absentmindedly pressing her thighs closer together and touching her lips. "I'm sorry. I just like you so much," she finished in a whisper.

"We should probably get going," he said hoarsely.

Kagome nodded and grabbed her school bag, awkwardly brushing past him to the door. They spent the entire ride in silence, each going over the words the other had said and storing them away in their hearts. He dropped her off without a goodbye and immediately went into work, an hour early and completely furious. Inuyasha had just lost the one bit of goodness in his life and although it seemed like she reciprocated his feelings to at least some degree, there was no way she would allow them to be together. And he could understand, really. If anyone else knew about what they had done they'd think it was disgusting, but knowing and feeling are two very different things.

Apparently, to Kagome "we shouldn't hang out so much" meant "we should never ever ever talk again ever for the rest of forever". It had been days and he had barely seen her. She had even bought groceries, instructing her driver to take her to a store after school one day and using the card he had given her for emergencies. He guessed this could be seen as an emergency from her point of view, but now he didn't even have the excuse of asking her what she wanted for dinner in order to see her, hear her. Inuyasha now moped about whenever he was at home, wanting to just sit next to her and listen to her voice but not able to even have that much. She would cook dinner, leave him a plate, and take her food up to her room immediately. He considered hiding all the food so she'd have to talk to him, but he knew she was stubborn and would probably starve before knocking on his door.

He kept the underwear he had taken from her in a plastic Ziploc bag in his briefcase, sometimes pulling it out at work and sniffing it, other times just staring at it. He had stuffed it in his mouth so many times that it smelled more like him than her, and he now regretted all his enthusiastic jacking off sessions, although that didn't stop him. He hadn't slept since what happened with Kagome, and it was beginning to wear at him. As a half-demon, he could survive without sleep for much longer than an ordinary man, but the way things were going he was thinking of getting some demon-strength sleeping pills.

What helped keep him up at night was the knowledge of what Kagome did right before she went to sleep. He had stumbled upon it a couple nights after what happened. Stopping before her door on the way to his, he lingered, imagining her tucked away in her cloud bed, dreaming of whatever angels dream of. That was when he heard a small sigh, one that immediately tipped him off to what she was doing. Mourning his inability to see through walls, he jammed his ear against the door to better hear her gasping breaths and sweet moans. Reaching into his pants, he jerked himself quickly, trying to catch up with her. It was just a few seconds later that he heard her climax, saying his actual name, not that stupid nickname, in a loud whisper. He came as well, answering her by whispering her name into the door as quietly as he could.

Kikyo came back from wherever it was she had gone. She always said she was at work, but he smelled sex on her and knew she had been with a man, most likely that Sui-whatever guy she had told him about. Again, she tried to engage him in a battle of tongues, but he refused her, gently this time, reiterating his lies about being hurt and needing time to heal when really he was just not the kind of man to kiss a woman after his mouth had been on her daughter's pussy. Kikyo was vain enough to believe it and happily went about working and her not so secret rendezvous with that doctor guy. She was hardly ever home and he doubted she had ever even slept in the twin bed he hadn't bothered replacing.

On one of her visits, which always seemed to be when Kagome was not around, he asked her what he'd been wondering for some time.

"Uh, Kikyo, is Kagome on, er, birth control?"

Kikyo looked at him sharply, suspicious. "Why do you ask?"

"It's just that she has this boy hanging around her all the time now and I was thinking that they might, uh, do stuff," he muttered, the words tasting bad in his mouth.

She laughed. "Kagome? With a boy? They haven't shown any interest in her, so I'm surprised. Thank you for telling me, Inuyasha, but you don't have to worry. I put her on birth control immediately when she started her first period. She complained of her cramps so much that it was nearly unbearable for Urasue, so we thought it best to just reduce the amount of times per year we'd have to suffer through that."

"Wow, um, okay." He filed the information away for later, trying to suppress his disgust at Kikyo's actions.

And then Kagome broke the routine, as he had been hoping she would, although it was not in the way he wanted. She brought home a boy, the same one that had been on top of her, the one that had been spending time with her since the first day of school. Hojo. He smelled him as soon as they entered, his fangs baring and a growl making its way out of his throat. Inuyasha had stayed home from work that day, hoping for a glimpse of Kagome before she shut herself up in her room for the night. He usually got back too late to see her cook and do whatever else she did. Kikyo had not been back since yesterday and he assumed she was actually working since she had seemed quite occupied and had not even wanted to chat.

Immediately he was before them, his posture and gestures saying "welcoming, benevolent host" but his face screaming murder. He glared back and forth between them, his gaze softening somewhat as he looked Kagome up and down, taking in the sight of her and enjoying it immensely.

"Hojo is tutoring me," she explained calmly. "I told him what happened."

When his eyes widened, she quickly sputtered out, "N-no! What happened with the drink! Why he and I were acting that way!"

Inuyasha relaxed and Hojo looked at him, confused by the conversation and scared. There was still a bruise on his face and Inuyasha smiled, proud of his work. The boy knew what he was capable of. He wouldn't overstep his boundaries. It looked like Kagome had dragged him there almost against his will, anyway. The kid hadn't said a word and his hands were shaking. He was too afraid to even look at Kagome. Even though he observed all this, it didn't stop him from feeling insanely, incredibly, intensely jealous. He still wanted to rip the kid's throat out.

"Fine," he nodded, seeing the look on Kagome's face. "But stay at the kitchen table. And tutor her for real this time," he added with a growl.

"Y-yes, sir!" Hojo yelped.

Sitting down in his chair, he heard Kagome offer him refreshments and Hojo decline rather loudly. They launched into the tutoring session and soon he was bored with eavesdropping as they were only talking about math. He kept one ear trained for any unusual sounds and went back to his laptop, reading over some messages from Myoga involving Shikon. Every sabotage had been performed so skillfully that it was nearly impossible to figure out who had done it, but Inuyasha believed Kikyo when she said it was Onigumo. Destroying him was even more important now that Kagome was in his life. He didn't ever want her learning what her father was like or even that she had a father. He would be the only man she needed, in whatever capacity she required.

Finally, he heard Hojo stammer out a goodbye and Kagome walk him to the door, shutting it with a sigh. She made her way to where Inuyasha was now pretending to work, heart beating in anticipation of actually talking to her for the first time in days. He was torn between disappointment and excitement when she bent over in front of where he was sitting, attempting to get a schoolbook of hers that was under his feet on the coffee table. She stumbled over her own feet and fell, palms smacking the surface of the table. Her skirt rode up a bit too high and what he saw made him choke. She was wearing a tiny, little thong. Had she dressed for Hojo? Had she counted on Inuyasha not being there? Had he ruined her plans?

Those thoughts coupled with his jealousy and lack of sleep made him so angry he growled, coming to a sudden decision. "Come here, Kagome," he said in a low voice, shutting his laptop and tossing it on the floor to the side of his chair, not caring if it broke.

Startled at the sound of his voice, she turned to him, obeying without thought. He was pleased. If she had ignored him, things would have become much, much worse. Kagome stood at his side and he could feel her curiosity and reluctance. He said nothing and just as she turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist, dragging her face-down across his lap.

"What the fuck is this, Kagome?" he hissed, bringing a hand up to her rear and stroking the skin around the thong. She responded immediately, pushing back into his hand, her wetness making the underwear damp. However, she said nothing, and actions weren't enough this time.

"I asked you a question," he said calmly, bringing his hand down on her perfectly round, lily-white bottom with a loud slap.

"Ow!" she yelled, trying to turn her head and look at him. "That _hurt_! What are you—"

He slapped her again on the other cheek, this time squeezing her afterward. "Just answer the question, Kagome," he whispered, running his claws gently down the line of her thong.

She shivered and said, "I don't—"

Two slaps.

"_Fine_! I picked it out when we went shopping that one time. I liked it so I got it," she muttered into the armrest.

He slapped her again, hitting both cheeks at once, enjoying the way her flesh jiggled and changed colors to a very becoming red. "Why'd you wear it today?"

"I just felt like it."

He slapped her again.

"Ow! What was that for? I answered the question!"

"I just felt like it," he smirked.

Kagome tried to turn over but he kept her down across him, her struggles stimulating his erection. She stopped trying to get away when he began to run a finger down along her thong, ripping it off with a claw and quickly stuffing it in his shirt pocket. He ran his hand over Kagome's cheeks, hearing her breathing quicken and become heavier, the sensations she felt on her sensitized skin completely new. Her wetness dripped onto his pants and he stuck a finger in her, both of them moaning at the feeling.

"So good," she whispered. Inuyasha nodded even though he knew she couldn't see. He withdrew from her, ignoring her cry, and flipped her onto her back on the coffee table. Leaning over her, he kissed her lips tenderly, apologizing, then allowed himself to be dragged into her much more frantic and impassioned response.

"I want to be with you, Kagome," he whispered into her hair. "Really be with you. I don't want to be friends or your step-dad or anything else."

"Me too. Or me neither. You know what I mean," she whispered back, grabbing him by the hair to give him another kiss with her already swollen lips. He broke apart with an abrupt movement and stared down at her lustily.

"I'll 'tutor' you, Kagome. I'll teach you things you only dreamt about. So ditch the kid and leave your schooling to me."

She bit her lip and nodded eagerly, not really paying attention to his words, wanting him to continue. Smiling, he kissed his way down her body, nipping at her breasts and swirling around her nipples with his tongue until she begged him to go lower. He complied, using his fingers and tongue to bring her to orgasm, her hands fisted in his hair as she humped his face. When she calmed down, he kissed her again, slowly and lovingly, supporting her head with one hand and caressing her breast with the other, trying to ignore his own burning need as he sought to arouse her again. She wasn't ready for all of him yet, but he'd work on her until she was. He sealed the promise to himself by giving Kagome a hard kiss and gently biting her lower lip while pinching her nipple, making her moan and arch into him.

He could wait.


	9. Tear Us Apart

**Note: Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are the Nutella to my graham crackalackas.**

***Song for the chapter: Never Tear Us Apart by INXS***

Inuyasha and Kagome established a routine. He would "tutor" her, with faux punishments for little things, such as dropping several cartons of take-out on the floor and not cleaning up the mess (which only happened because he was sucking on her neck with his hands squeezing her breasts from behind) or being what he deemed too clumsy, frequently tripping up the stairs but never down, thankfully. The punishments, which were always followed by him either licking her or fingering her to an intense orgasm, consisted of love bites and more spankings, and Inuyasha began to suspect she would slip up on purpose just to get his hands on her, which he would love if it were true. Her little mistakes were just made so naturally that he could never be sure if it really was her way of instigating one of their tutoring sessions.

One evening, as he was bringing her to another shuddering release on the floor of his room, she reached down and grabbed him through his pants. He tore his lips from hers and withdrew his fingers, looking her in the eye with something akin to shock. Sure, she had touched him that first time, but since then she had not made a move toward his lower region. Flinching, he looked down on her apologetically, seeing the curious look in her eyes. He had thought she wasn't ready for him, but he wasn't ready for her.

Kagome reached down again and he grabbed her wrist, stopping her. He moved away and looked down, but not soon enough to avoid witnessing the hurt look in her eyes.

"Y-you don't want me to touch you?" she whispered. "I thought…"

"It's not that," he muttered, scooting away. "I just—Fuck, it's one thing for me to do these things to you and another for you to do them to me."

"What do you mean?" Anger and confusion mixed in her tone and he looked up at her, his eyes pleading for her to understand the words he wasn't sure he could get right.

"You're so young," he said, wincing when his voice came out louder than he had intended.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Have you just realized that? Come on," she murmured, crawling on her knees toward him, suddenly seductive. "Let me touch you back. I want to feel you."

She kissed him and he let her, but stopped her hand when it again drifted toward the obvious bulge in his pants. It was so very difficult for him, but he could endure. Even if it was true he was so aroused these past few days with her that he had cum in his pants multiple times already and jerked himself off even more. Inuyasha was nearly constantly aroused, but he couldn't let Kagome take care of that for him. Like he had told her, it was one thing for him to bring her pleasure, but a completely different thing for her to pleasure him. He would feel as though he were defiling her in some way. Although he _did_ want to "defile" her in the worst way, he thought it best to wait awhile at least, to give her time to change her mind.

"Just let me take care of you, okay, Kagome?"

He could tell she wanted to refuse by the stubborn set of her jaw and the glare she was giving him, but he was touching her in all the right places and she had been so close before the interruption. Nodding once, she rose to her knees in front of him, hands on his shoulders as he sucked on a nipple greedily and plunged his fingers in and out of her, soon feeling her clench around him as she brought his lips up to hers for a kiss. The kiss was deep and forceful on her end, like she was telling him that this wasn't the end and she'd get her way sooner or later. He sighed and carried her to his bed, plopping her on it and turning off the lamp, silencing her complaints about homework with a kiss and a growl.

Kagome continued to beg to reciprocate and he continued to deny her, each time being harder than the last (both figuratively and literally). She pouted and got angry, but he was firm and attempted to distract her with his talents. Inuyasha was secretly pleased that she wanted him so badly, almost as badly as he wanted her. He couldn't imagine what it would be like if the situation was reversed, but he guessed he probably would have forced his way much more violently than she was attempting to do. All in all, it just made him love her more.

Things continued like this and the self-imposed chaste frustration was driving him crazy. They were in the parking lot of Kagome's school, and even though they had left early she was now going to be late. She was grinding against him in his lap in the driver's seat and kissing him passionately, whimpering and drenching the front of his pants. His hands were roaming her ass and he felt her lack of panties, something that made him buck up and press her down onto him.

"Fuck, Kagome, you're not going in to school like this."

She gasped and rolled off of him. "You're right! I better get going. I can't afford another tardy."

Stunned, he watched as she grabbed her garish yellow backpack and exited the car, forgetting to shut the door in her haste. Inuyasha cursed himself for speaking. He had meant that he wasn't going to let her go inside without undergarments, not that she should hurry up. Resigned, he leaned over to shut the door when his eye caught a flash of yellow in the space between her seat and the door. It was Kagome's lunch bag, the one that matched her backpack. He didn't know why she insisted on making lunch when every morning he offered her money to buy a meal. An idea popped into his head and he smiled, grabbing her bag and following after her.

He burst through the double doors and started tracking her by scent when he was stopped by a burly woman with an angry glare. Self-consciously, he tugged his shirt down, hoping it was long enough to cover the wetness Kagome had left on his pants but not daring to look and possibly draw her gaze to it.

"Sir, only parents or guardians are allowed beyond this point, and only then after checking in at the main office."

Inuyasha shot her a glare of equal vehemence and won, the woman looking away uncomfortably. "I'm a parent, or uh, guardian. My step-daughter," the word tasted bad in his mouth, "forgot her lunch." He held up her bag as proof.

She looked him up and down doubtfully. "You can leave that in the main office along with her name and we'll make sure she gets it."

"It's fine, I can give it to her."

"You're still going to have to sign in at the main office, sir," she said testily, her glare creeping back.

He sighed in frustration. "I'm a busy man and I just want to give my step-daughter her lunch, okay? I won't even be five minutes."

"I cannot disobey school rules—"

"Then can you point me in the direction of the main office?" he growled angrily.

She nodded and turned, giving him directions complete with unnecessary hand gestures. "Go right back out those doors and head left…"

Inuyasha used his demonic speed and made his way further into the school, sniffing out Kagome. Her trail ended before a door and he looked in through the small window, seeing her rapidly take notes as her teacher droned on and on about whatever and her classmates whispered to each other or slept. He tapped a claw on the glass and she looked up, the only one to do so. Smiling, he held up her bag and she looked at him gratefully, mouthing a thank you. She raised her hand and Inuyasha heard her ask to use the restroom. Her teacher rolled her eyes and told her she didn't have to ask in a way that suggested they had already been over this a few times before. Kagome bounced out the door and over to him, reaching out for her bag only to have him raise it above his head and far out of her reach.

"You left your lunch in the car. Being forgetful is a very bad thing and I don't want you to make a habit out of it, Kagome," he said in the tone he always used when "punishing" her.

He watched her gulp, the lust-crazed girl who had been grinding her bare pussy into his denim-covered erection just moments before now replaced by a shy, blushing schoolgirl.

"Not here," she whispered, her eyes searching the hallway for anyone who might have heard.

Inuyasha smirked and ran his claws through her hair, rubbing the back of her neck. "I heard you ask your teacher to use the restroom. Lying's bad, too."

She shivered and closed her eyes, and when she opened them he saw the girl who was his lover looking back at him. "We don't have a lot of time. Come on."

Kagome grabbed his hand and tugged him towards a flight of stairs, running up them and then down a quiet, unlit hallway to a lonely corner of her school. She turned abruptly and opened a door even he had not seen that was sandwiched between two trophy cases. Her lips were on his and he nearly fell backwards into the handicapped stall, accidentally biting her lip and making her moan loudly into his mouth. The sound echoed in the room and they both quieted, their heavy breathing continuing as neither of them could do anything to stop that.

Inuyasha pushed her up against a wall while he pulled off her school blouse, flinging it to the side. Yanking down her bra, he broke away from her mouth to watch her breasts bounce from the violence of his actions. Kissing her once more, he turned his attention to her breasts, pinching her nipples, licking them, biting down gently and then finally sucking them hard, the way she liked. She arched her back against him and could not hold back her cry of his name.

"_Inuyasha_!"

Although hearing his real name from her lips always made his heart leap, he kissed her mouth roughly to remind her of their location. Kagome moaned quietly in apology and wrapped her arms around his neck. Deciding it would be best if he kept his mouth on hers, he instead tugged at her nipples with one hand and with the other stroked the outsides of her thighs around his waist. Drawing back from her and dropping her to her feet, he kissed her once gently and then grabbed her hand, placing it over her mouth. Inuyasha knelt before her and spread her legs a little further, cupping her mound and teasing her with the palm of his hand while the tips of his fingers rubbed her entrance. He looked up at Kagome to see her with her clenched fist in her mouth, biting down on her knuckles, her rosy nipples glistening in the fluorescent light. Deciding to make it quick and forego the spanking so he could get her back to class on time and hurry back to the car in order to temporarily relieve the almost ever-present ache he possessed, he devoured her pussy, growling low so the vibrations would speed up the process. He grabbed her knee and placed it over his shoulder, changing the angle and making her squirm against his face more actively. Cupping her ass, he pressed her into his face and sucked on her clit, finally feeling the gush of wetness that signaled her release and drinking it down. Panting, Kagome slid to the floor, her legs twitching beneath her. Inuyasha licked his lips and stood as he looked at her, memorizing the sight in order to recall it in perfect detail back in the car.

"Please, Inuyasha, let me touch you," she whispered, rising to her knees.

"Fuck, Kagome, not again," he said, despairing when it came out like a whine.

Her small hands gripped both his front pockets and she brushed her lips across his jean-covered erection. "But I've been bad, Papa Yasha. So bad. You're going to have to punish me."

"Er, it's okay. No need," he squeaked. What was making her act like this? Her voice was low and throaty, not at all like it normally was, although it turned him on just as much. His eyes went wide. The laptop. Kagome had never used a computer before and he had taught her the basics, introduced her to the internet. She had been spending most of her free time online lately. Had she discovered porn? Is that why she had been begging lately?

"But I didn't wear any panties," she murmured, rubbing her fingers lightly over his crotch. "And I was late and forgetful. I deserve a _big_ punishment."

Lulled by the sound of her voice, he didn't react immediately when she quickly undid his jeans and roughly yanked his cock out, making him choke on a gasp and then moan. Growling, he pulled back on her hair, trying to force her to look him in the eye and stop what she was doing. All he managed to do was make her whimper and gently lick the pre-cum off the tip.

"Please, please fuck my mouth, Papa Yasha," she said shakily in a voice that was more like hers. Normally when she said that name and reminded him of their other relationship, their step-daughter and step-father one, all his excitement vanished, but the way she said it now evoked a dark lust and had him trembling. He could hear and smell her desire. She wanted this almost as badly as he did. Inuyasha had always been kind of meh when it came to dirty talk with previous partners, sometimes feeling nothing, sometimes feeling awkward, sometimes being turned off completely. But when the dirty words came from Kagome's mouth, his cock reacted strongly, and he bucked his hips into her waiting mouth without thought.

"Fuck, Kagome," he hissed. Even though he could feel her gag and struggle to take him in and her teeth grazed him more often than he would like, the knowledge that it was his cock in Kagome's mouth had him nearly cumming, and when her tongue swirled around the head twice, he did. Her eyes went wide and she pulled her head back and up, looking on dazedly as he continued to cum uncontrollably on her breasts, licking the semen from her lips and swallowing. When it was finally over, he fell to his knees in front of her and kissed her softly in thanks and apology.

"That… You were wonderful, angel."

She looked up at him shyly, a pretty blush on her cheeks. "It wasn't bad? I didn't hurt you or gross you out?"

He chuckled, "Nah, you were great. And I should be asking you that. Sorry that I, uh, made a mess…on you," he finished lamely, gesturing toward her chest.

Kagome blushed darker. "I meant to swallow it all but I got so surprised. I didn't think it would be so soon."

Now he was blushing as well. "Um, normally it isn't. Not for me, anyway. I can't speak for other guys. I was just really, well, you know. After these past couple weeks with you…"

She kissed him on the cheek and smirked. "I know."

"Let's get you cleaned up."

He walked out of the stall first and peeped out into the hallway, checking to see if the coast was clear. Pressing his back against the door, he whispered, "Now."

Kagome rushed out to the sink and hurriedly splashed herself with cold water, shivering from the temperature. Inuyasha bit his lip and tried to look away from her pebbled nipples, knowing they didn't have enough time to get him off again. After rinsing her mouth a few times, she grabbed a handful of paper towels, quickly and efficiently drying her chest off and tugging her blouse back on, fixing her wavy mess of hair and smoothing her skirt.

"How do I look?" she asked, coming over to where he was and placing her hands on his chest.

Inuyasha stared at her seriously, taking in her charmingly mussed hair and flushed cheeks, swollen lips and bright eyes. In that moment, he wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he knew humans moved slower and he didn't want to scare her off.

"Like you just let a guy eat you out in the bathroom," he said huskily, hoping his adoration didn't show in his eyes and tip her off.

Kagome smiled and gasped, swatting his chest playfully. Reaching her hands up, she placed one on each side of his face and jumped up to kiss him.

"I wish we had longer, but class is almost over and I have to go."

He ran his fingers through her hair like he had done earlier, marveling at its softness. "No worries. I'll pick you up same time, same place. Okay?"

She kissed him on the cheek in agreement and went straight out the door, this time remembering her lunch.

On the walk back to his car, he licked his lips over and over, tasting Kagome and wondering if she was doing the same thing and thinking of him. He felt his cock stir again and he almost groaned aloud when there was a touch on his shoulder. Immediately, he froze, fearing the wrath of the main office lady he had ditched earlier. Turning, he was confronted instead with a short, burly man in coveralls.

"Um, yes?"

"You're that Taisho guy, right? The rich business one?"

Inuyasha nodded, confused. He was rarely recognized, and if he was it was mostly by eager young businessmen at conventions or other half-demons who would congratulate him on his work. He couldn't think of a reason why a middle-aged man in coveralls would know who he was.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the janitor, but that's not important. Does everybody know you like to fuck high school girls?"

Time seemed to stop as he stared at the smirking man, who pulled a tape recorder from the front pocket of his outfit.

"_Please, please fuck my mouth, Papa Yasha_."

It was Kagome's voice, obviously, during that special, private moment they had shared just minutes ago. And this fucking pervert had it all caught on tape.

"Nobody else has to know, Mr. Taisho. I can keep my mouth shut for a million."

Fear fled and was replaced by shock and outrage. This pudgy little fuck wanted a _million_ of his hard-earned dollars? Fuck no. He felt the rage build up in him and he forcibly calmed himself down with breathing techniques he had learned over the years. Sometimes his temper got the best of him, and if that happened here he'd have hell to pay. And what about Kagome and her reputation? And, oh _fuck_, Kikyo? What about her?

"Look, I'm a nice guy. I'll give you ten thousand, how about that?"

The man's smug smile dropped off his face and he scowled. "No fucking way am I settling for a measly ten thou, you half-demon bastard. I know you're loaded, stop being so goddamned fucking stingy!"

Inuyasha was finding it increasingly difficult to control his temper. "Alright then, _five_. What were you doing with a tape recorder in the fucking girl's bathroom, anyway? Pervert. And seriously, a _tape_ recorder? What the fuck is this, Watergate?! It's the twenty-first century, asshole."

"What I do is none of your goddamned business, scum. Especially when you're fucking some teenage whore and making her call you 'Papa'. Calling me a pervert? Fuckin' hypocrite. If this is Watergate, I'm definitely not Deep Throat."

Something in him snapped when he heard the man call Kagome a whore. He knew many people would see her that way, especially considering their relationship and age difference, but as for him being her step-father, that was just something he did out of obligation to his first love. As for the age-difference, he had stopped aging at twenty-one, when he reached his peak, so his real age wasn't apparent until he told people, which was usually when their jaws would drop in horror and/or sick interest. So yes, their relationship was pretty inappropriate, but he truly did love her and he was not using her like some sort of fuck toy, so she was _not_ a whore. Inuyasha's jaw clenched as he remembered the names his mother was called by both humans and demons, even by those among their own family. Kagome would not suffer the same way.

Plastering a smile on his face, Inuyasha said smoothly, "Fine. Why don't we discuss this someplace I'd be more comfortable. What do you say to lunch?"

The man nodded eagerly and clapped him on the back, saying something that Inuyasha laughed at but didn't hear. Leading the man to his car, which he had parked in a far corner of the parking lot due to his and Kagome's earlier activities, he looked around and sniffed for a presence, stopping when he was satisfied there was no one.

"—and so that's why I was thinkin' maybe cheesesteak, 'cause I can never turn down a fuckin' cheesesteak, but you know what I—"

His claws silently cut through his throat and he watched the janitor bleed out, his eyes looking all around them, perhaps searching for help. Inuyasha felt like laughing but decided to be more respectful, since this was the only funeral the man would have. Quickly, Inuyasha searched through his coveralls for the tape recorder and pocketed it, then grabbed his arms, ignoring his pathetic twitching, and dragged the janitor over to a nearby manhole, lifting it up with ease and then kicking the barely alive man inside. Only then did he let the laugh out, and it was short and quiet. He laughed at his victory, at the thought that this pathetic human among pathetic humans had thought to blackmail him, at the fact that this janitor was now among the piss and shit and vomit that had been his life and would now be his death. Replacing the manhole, he walked back to his car, stopping at a planter to scoop up several handfuls of dirt to cover the few spatterings of blood that had fallen to the ground. Wiping his hands on his jeans, he sighed, wishing he could tell Kagome about this act which proved his love for her as much as he wished he could tell her of that love, but he knew she would be horrified at hearing either. Inuyasha sighed and drove home, deciding to skip work and wait around for Kagome instead.


	10. Lasting Treasure

**Note: So yeah, this is moving super quickly, but again, I intended to go back and expand. This is just a rough rough draft. I got tired of this story really fast, and maybe I'll go back and work on it someday (not likely), but I don't want anything to do with it right now and I've always lacked attention to detail while also being very impatient with myself. There are probably some typos and inconsistencies. I can only go over it so many times (like, maybe one?) before it starts to all blur together and I don't notice mistakes.**

**I'm currently writing another InuKag story and it's more toned down (for me, anyway). That's the reason why I only update on Monday and Friday, so I can work on the other story and have it ready hopefully as soon as this one is completely uploaded. Otherwise, I would have posted this all at once. I only read completed stories myself (unless they're super super good), and I think a lot of you are like me. Again, every review, even those that just say "good update soon plz" is something I treasure. I'd like to give a special thanks to Rochoa and Keichanz for reviewing so wonderfully over on Eternal Destiny. I've been a super big fan of them both since I discovered the world of InuKag fiction. **

**Before I got into fanfiction, I never wrote anything over seven pages, and that was for school. I'm not even into anime, but I got a terrible ear infection last summer and couldn't even move my jaw and I was pretty much bedridden from the pain for weeks. I had Inuyasha downloaded on my laptop for a few years, and I finally decided to watch it when I ran out of movies, just for old time's sake and the fact that it had subtitles so I could mute it and still know what was going on without suffering, and I instantly became absolutely obsessed. When it ended without a big enough romantic pay-off, I was forced to read fanfiction, something I hadn't done since I was fifteen and reallyreallyreally into My Chemical Romance. I started writing the first chapter of Strictly Taboo in October, and then abandoned it until December.**

**I don't know why I felt like putting this here, since it seems like something that should go with the last chapter, but I'm feeling chatty and I'm bored in the cafeteria so whatever, most of you guys don't read these because it's not a sex scene, which I am so tired of, by the way. I may or may not be giving away secret plot points in the songs. Just saying. I have been totally foreshadowing an event this entire time and so far nobody has commented on it. Either you really didn't pick up on it, or you are being polite to your fellow readers and don't want to spoil it, or you don't want to review, or you're being considerate and letting me think I'm a mastermind, and if the last one is the case, I would like to say thank you and ask you to be my new mom. Also, don't spoil the secret. Let the fact that you're a super sleuth on the level of Sherlock remain your little secret, you sly fox(es).**

**Anyhoo, I've always had a bad habit of wanting to squish my male and female lead together and have them be happy right off the bat, which is a mistake a lot of authors make and one I'm not even going to attempt to avoid at this point in my "career". I know it makes absolutely no sense, but this is my stupid first full-length fanfic and they are going to bone when and where I tell them to bone because I am a lonely college student who has sworn off relationships until graduate school because real life boning makes me distracted and ruins my grades and isn't nearly as fun as imaginary boning. That said, there will be no boning in this chapter. Why do I keep saying bone? This note is almost longer than the chapter, yeesh. Anyway, we have quite a bit to go before we get to the end of Strictly Taboo, and I hope you guys stick around. =]**

***Song for the chapter: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles***

Kikyo was back more and more and Inuyasha was quickly losing his patience. Kagome never wanted to be intimate with him when her mother was in the house, which was completely understandable, but it was torture for him to see her and not be able to touch her. He didn't want to go to her school either, not after what he had to do last time, but it had been so long since he had tasted her and he was seriously considering it, damn the consequences.

"…And so now I only have the flowers left to worry about. Are you listening, Inuyasha?" Kikyo said irritably.

He nodded absently and once again tried to pay attention to what Kikyo was saying about their wedding. Christmas was only a few days away and that meant their wedding was in almost a week. They would be getting married at the shrine Kikyo's family owned but no longer inhabited and the honeymoon would be at Inuyasha's old beach house, something he had bought on a whim in the seventies and hardly bothered with since. He and Kikyo had spent an enjoyable weekend there once, right before they broke up. He supposed that was why she wanted to go back. He was less than thrilled about it, considering how their relationship ended.

In fact, he was less than thrilled about the whole thing. He tried his hardest to get at least a little excited for the wedding, but he just couldn't. Trying to recapture his old feelings for the frigid woman just left him feeling sick and longing for Kagome even more. Lately, she hadn't even been speaking to him or her mother. She just stayed up in her room, doing homework or whatever, and when he dropped her off and picked her up it was the same. She claimed she was tired, so they couldn't fool around in the car either, also she was worried about her mother noticing even a hair out of place. He shook his head angrily. When had he gone from thinking of Kikyo as Kikyo and instead started thinking of her as Kagome's mom? It was impossible for him to think of her as anything else, even when he brought to mind their history. It was like another lifetime, and he felt like a completely different person. All he felt towards her now was a faint fondness and a desire to make her last days happy ones. And fuck, he was marrying his kind-of-sort-of girlfriend's mother and it was kind-of-sort-of freaking him out.

"Hey Kikyo," he said abruptly, cutting her off in the middle of whatever she had been saying.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" she hissed, obviously upset.

"Let's bring Suikotsu on the honeymoon."

She stared at him, shocked into silence. "You want to—"

"No, not _that_," he said quickly, understanding what she had been thinking. "I just meant, like, at least one of us should have fun on our honeymoon," he muttered.

"That's nice of you, Inuyasha. I will consider it."

"And we could let Kagome come too," he said, trying to make it seem like an afterthought when really it was the only thing he wanted. "She's gonna be out of school anyway, we might as well take a family vacation."

Kikyo frowned. "I had planned on letting Urasue watch her. She's known Kagome since birth and the girl probably misses her."

He almost laughed out loud, thinking of all the horror stories Kagome had told her about the drunken old woman he had met only once. "I think a change of scenery would be nice for her."

"I suppose you're right. The two of you have been spending a lot of time together, after all."

Inuyasha chuckled nervously. "Yeah, we're pretty good pals. It's important for me to study the younger generation and observe trends and things like that." And study he did.

Kikyo nodded reluctantly. "The two of you could keep each other company while Suikotsu and I catch up. We haven't had much contact these last few months."

His brow furrowed. "Haven't you been spending the weekends at his place, at least?" He had assumed she'd been living there. She had only spent a handful of nights in his house.

"I've been planning our _wedding_, Inuyasha," she spat out. "I did not have much time to spend with a man who does not want it to even occur."

"I-I'm sorry, Kikyo." He had given very little thought to what her life was like, even going so far as to forget about her for hours at a time. Guilt flooded through him and he watched as she held back tears, something he had never even associated with her.

"Good," she grumbled. "One of us should be."

Christmas came and he wrote Kikyo a check for five thousand dollars, certain her tastes had changed and not knowing what she'd like. She wasn't there to receive it as she was spending the holiday with her boyfriend, making Inuyasha swear again that he would not tell Kagome about it. He was puzzled as it seemed she only really cared about Kagome when it came to secrets or accomplishments. Inside, he was glad they had not married all those years ago and had children, as it would be them he'd see suffering now. Seeing Kagome quietly accept that her mother would not be there to celebrate her favorite holiday tore at his heart, too, but still, he was glad he had dodged a bullet. A bullet which was more like a boomerang, when he thought about it.

Since Kagome was very much into Christmas and she had reminded him of a Christmas angel the first time he had seen her and now thought of it as her day, he decorated the house in an over the top fashion. It was covered in lights even though they were in the middle of the woods and nobody else could see them, but to him and Kagome that just added to the beauty of it. It was theirs. They had a pine tree inside the house, which he and Kagome had decorated extensively with lights and newly purchased mismatched ornaments and candy canes and even strings of popcorn which he had never seen anyone actually do outside of old cartoons. The pile of gifts he placed under it towered to nearly its middle, and he worried he had overdone it and that it would scare her off, so he took away half and saved them in his closet for her birthday, painstakingly rewrapping them in different paper since originally they had been covered in little pine trees and snow men.

Kagome was off from school for a long while, until the second week of January, and he was so happy he sometimes forgot to breathe. She was still somewhat standoffish even after Kikyo left again, although she did allow him to kiss her and touch her over her clothes under the tree a few times. On Christmas Eve, she had agreed to once again sleep in his bed beside him and he thought their activities would extend beyond a simple goodnight kiss, but no such luck. Still, he was happy to hold her and smell her and love her.

The morning of the holiday, Kagome woke him up with a deep kiss, completely taking him by surprise as he always woke up before her when they slept together. She straddled his stomach and her hands were tracing the edges of his ears lovingly.

"Come on, Papa Yasha," she whispered. "Presents!"

He groaned and dragged her back down to his lips, kissing her slow and sweet, just enjoying the dull minty taste of her mouth and the feel of it. "What time is it?"

"Almost six!" she chirped happily, kissing him along his brows.

"Ugh, fine," he mumbled grumpily and sat up, inwardly eagerly anticipating the look on her face when she opened his gifts.

Suddenly, she flung her arms around his neck and pressed her face into his shoulder. "I didn't get you anything," she whispered regretfully, giving him light kisses along his collar bone.

"That's alright, Kagome," he soothed, embracing her. "I didn't expect you to, anyway. It's not like you have a job or anything, and I'm pretty much your only mode of transportation. Besides, you can be my present," he finished with a grin that could be heard in his voice. He was enjoying all the kisses she was giving him after so much time with hardly anything.

She laughed and playfully bit the side of his neck. "I am, then."

They ran down the stairs hand in hand, laughing like young children did, until Kagome nearly tripped and he decided to carry her, tossing her over his shoulder like a bag of potatoes and ignoring her happy shrieks, bouncing her a few times and squeezing her bottom as she laughed until she was gasping for breath.

He plopped down in front of the tree and settled her in his lap, not even bothering to hide his erection. Kagome, of course, noticed and sent him a heated look before grabbing the box closest to her and opening it. She shook it and her brow furrowed when it didn't make a sound.

"What is it?" she asked.

Inuyasha laughed. "It's right in front of you, Kagome, just open it. And hurry up, there's a ton of these things."

She looked at him, confused. "You want me to open all of them?"

"Well, yeah. They're all for you."

She gasped and her eyes widened. "_All_ these?" she squeaked.

He nodded. "We're pretty much the only people here. Who else would they be for?"

"I-I thought maybe for Mother, or your work friends, or maybe even decoration, but not all for me…"

"Everybody else has their gift, now hurry up and open yours," he muttered, kissing her directly behind her ear and inhaling her scent.

"Alright," she said, still unsure. Carefully, she slowly opened the package, being sure not to tear the paper. Amused, but quickly becoming impatient, he grabbed her hands and brought them up to his face, placing a kiss on the back of each of them.

"I like that you're sweet and gentle, but it's just paper. Rip it apart!"

"But, the memories—"

"You're not going to save pieces of paper, Kagome. I don't want us to end up on Hoarders," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine," she said sharply, ripping into the box. Stunned, she pulled out her gift. "Is this—"

She held up the nearly completely transparent pair of panties, her mouth open and gaping. "There's a hole in it…" she muttered.

"They're supposed to be that way. These're crotchless panties," he whispered into her ear, running his claws up and down her arms until she shuddered.

"But…why?"

He shrugged. "I always thought they were hot."

"Are all my gifts lingerie?" she asked, her voice rising. He flinched.

"Not _all_ of them. I got you other stuff. I just thought it would be nice if—"

"You don't think I'm pretty enough already?" she said, her voice trembling. Crap.

"Fuck, no—You're beautiful! I think you're the most beautiful girl in the world," he said sincerely. "I think about you all the time, and sometimes I think about what things like this would look like on you, not what you would look like in them." She stared at him, confused, so he continued. "What I mean is that you make them look good, not the other way around."

"It's... a little much right now. But thank you for thinking of me."

Inuyasha felt worse with each present Kagome opened. True, not all of them were sex-oriented but a good deal were. He had also bought her some stuffed animals, since she had once mentioned she always dreamed of having a big bed full of them. There were some earrings and bracelets and other girly stuff, too. But it seemed as though every other box contained something she'd rather not be touching. There were cupless bras, dirty dice, a copy of the Kama Sutra, a sex bingo game he had found online, hand cuffs, corsets, garter belts with lacy garters, and a door jamb sex swing. So okay, maybe he had gone a little overboard. Her face turned redder with each gift she opened and by the time she was done, he felt like a complete asshole. He didn't want to rush her or anything. In fact, it was mostly his hesitation that prevented them from going "all the way".

They sat in front of the fading fire, surrounded by mountains of cheery printed paper and enough items to stock their own sex shop. Cautiously, Inuyasha took Kagome's hand, pulling her up without a word. Ignoring her questions of where he was taking her, he led her outside, directly in front of the Goshinboku.

"I can't see a thing out here in the dark," Kagome huffed irritably. The sun had only just risen and the thick foliage all around them prevented the little light there was from filtering through.

"Let me fix that for you," he murmured, letting go of her hand and reaching down to plug an extension cord into a power strip. The ancient tree lit up, and Kagome gasped in awe and delight, seeking out his hand and gripping it tightly.

"Oh, it's so beautiful!"

"Yeah," he whispered, bending down to kiss her cheek. "Kagome… The wedding is on the first. That's coming up really quickly."

She glared at him, as if upset he had ruined the moment. "I _know_! You don't have to remind me all the time."

"Well, do you know that I don't really want to do this?" he said roughly. "I wish I could live every day alone with you and not have to care about anything else."

"You don't have to!" she yelled, grabbing him by the front of his shirt. "We could be together! Let's just run away. I'm tired of all this."

He was stunned. He had not even considered that thought, and it was quite an appealing one. But if they ran away tonight, would she still feel as passionately for him in the morning? Or would she grow resentful and put all the blame on him, pushing him away until there was nothing left to save? And what about Kikyo?

"I want to be with you," he said softly, placing his hands on hers on his chest. "But you and I both care about your mother too much to do that to her."

There were tears in her eyes and although she made a valiant effort at holding them back, they spilled over onto her face. "So you'll sneak around with her daughter behind her back and that's alright, but you can't have a legitimate relationship with me because _that_ would hurt her? Doesn't that just make everyone miserable but you?"

Inuyasha flinched. "It's not like that. I just don't want you to end up hating me."

She scoffed and turned to leave, but he caught her by the hand, not letting go even when she tried to wrench away from him so hard he thought her wrist would break. Ceasing her struggles, she allowed him to pull her into his chest and wrap his arms around her.

"Are you serious about me?" He almost didn't hear, what with how quietly she spoke and the fact that her words were muffled by his chest.

"You're the most important person in my life," he whispered back.

"How can I believe that? We only met a couple of months ago, for one. And then there's everything else…" she trailed off, not wanting to list the many details that made their being together so very inappropriate.

"Things go faster with demons. I don't need to know every detail about someone to know whether or not I like them. I just know."

"When did you know that you…liked me?"

"Within the first ten seconds of meeting you," he said truthfully. "It was never that fast with anyone before. Not with me, at least. When did… When did you start to like me?"

He felt her smile into his chest and that made him smile as well. "Right away. I was pretty obvious about it. But I didn't _like_ you like you until you kissed me. It was such a short moment, but I started to feel all these things and my heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest…"

She brought her head up and looked into his eyes dreamily. Her gaze was so tender that he couldn't not kiss her, slow and soft and sweet.

"I have one more gift for you, angel."

Kagome smiled and narrowed her eyes at him playfully. "Another weird sex thing?"

"No," he said seriously, suddenly nervous. He reached inside his pocket and felt around for the small object he had not bothered to put in a box. "This was my mother's ring, one that my father gave to her. It's one of the only things I have left that belonged to her."

Inuyasha slipped it on her left ring finger quickly, not giving her time to refuse it, although the look on her face didn't seem to be one of rejection.

"Oh god, Inuyasha, it's beautiful," she said, her voice full of emotion. She examined it on her finger, admiring the gold band studded with jade and tiny pearls. "So delicate. Are… Are you sure you want me to have this?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure. My mother told me to give it to the woman I cherished above all others. Who else would I give it to?" She gave him a pointed look and he flinched. "Not her. I never even showed this to her."

"Why not?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He shrugged. Honestly, it had never occurred to him to give it to anyone before now. He was very careful with the few possessions he had that belonged to his parents and just giving them away, even to someone he cared deeply for, seemed almost sacrilegious. But with Kagome, it just felt right. It was a way for his mother to watch over the woman her son had chosen, to guide her and tell the world she belonged to someone.

"Accepting this ring comes with a promise, Kagome," he said, staring into her eyes. "You're promising not to leave me and I'm promising not to leave you, okay?"

She nodded. "I promise. But how? You're getting married in just a few days!"

"I'm committing myself to Kikyo in order to commit myself to _you_. Think about it, Kagome. What happens if I turn her down? She'll leave and take you with her and we won't be able to see each other. If there was another way, I'd do it."

"Don't you feel guilty?"

"Do you?" He avoided the question, since he had a feeling that there was no right answer.

A few more tears fell and she laid her head on his chest again. "Only when I see her. But she's never around anymore."

"This is going to work, Kagome. We're going to make it work." Inuyasha kissed her and they looked at the lit up Goshinboku one more time before heading back to the house, hand in hand.


	11. Body and Soul

***Song for the Chapter: Body and Soul by Billie Holiday***

The night before the wedding, Inuyasha didn't sleep at all. He kept his arm extended to the side, wishing he could have the soft warmth of Kagome next to him instead of the cold nothing that had made its place by his side for far too long. Kikyo had dressed like she was going out that night, which got his hopes up, but it turned out she just wanted to have a quiet night in, effectively preventing any kind of intimacy between him and his chosen love and confusing the hell out of him, because who wears an evening gown to read a book on the couch? Kagome went to bed early, kissing her mother on the cheek and avoiding him completely. He and his too-soon-to-be wife had chatted about nothing half-heartedly, with her revealing that she was trying on her wedding dress and making sure he liked it, until he flipped on the television and she sighed and went up to bed. They didn't even make it to the count down this time.

Kikyo drove with Kagome to the Shrine early, telling him the night before not to see them off because glimpsing the bride before the wedding was bad luck. He knew she just didn't want him to see her without her make-up on, but he agreed anyway, even though he desperately wanted to give Kagome one last kiss as a free man before they began their descent into adultery.

Arriving at the Shrine nearly a half-hour before he was to be married, he took a look around at the guests who had already arrived. Kikyo had gathered the bare minimum of people she thought suitable, inviting only those above them (and they were truly few) and those at their own level. No subordinates or real friends or anything. It also appeared as though he was the only one of demonic heritage in attendance, a fact that made him roll his eyes and sigh heavily. A great amount of important business was done with demons. Kikyo and he would have to deal with a lot of pissed off colleagues and clients.

He lurked around for a bit, listening in on snippets of conversation, quickly becoming bored out of his mind. Why couldn't they have just gone to a damn courthouse and filled out a form? This was just completely unnecessary. When he saw everyone begin to head into the shrine building, he followed, strolling casually down the aisle, not even seeing the rich decorations or smelling the beautiful rare flowers, ignoring the stares and whispers of how unconcerned he seemed. The whole ceremony would be sloppy, since they hadn't had a rehearsal and he didn't even have a best man or anything, but he figured he could get by. Kikyo had concentrated more on the reception, claiming the party would be what really mattered, what everyone would remember.

No sooner had he stopped before the priest did the music begin to play and everybody stood, heads turned toward where the bride would enter. Kikyo was dressed in a slim, elegant ivory gown that she had worn the night before. It flowed to her feet and trailed behind her. She had chosen to forgo the veil, instead decorating her pinned-up hair with pearls and fresh jasmine flowers. Everybody murmured about how beautiful she looked, but all Inuyasha could see was the small figure behind her, carrying her train and scattering about jasmine flowers like the ones Kikyo wore in her hair. Kagome's hair was loose and waved down her back, the glorious mass just as untamed as it always was yet still looking absolutely beautiful. Her dress was long and pale gold and the way it outlined her thighs made his fingers itch to touch her. She was unsmiling and looking at the ground, and as she neared where he stood, his erratic heart beat seemed to be the only thing he could hear. On a fine gold chain around her neck was the ring he had given her, resting just between her breasts.

Giving her a meaningful look, he was disappointed when she kept her eyes on the ground and then suddenly Kikyo was next to him and the priest was saying something and he knew he had to respond appropriately and repeat the words like a goddamn parrot. So he did. He smiled and played the part of the loving bridegroom until it came to the end. When he said "I do", he looked not at Kikyo but at the one he was really committing himself to, somehow not surprised to see her looking directly at him. He said the words as he stared into her eyes and the moment seemed to last far longer than it should have, and then he quickly kissed his bride on the lips, took her hand, and they were gone, him dragging Kikyo behind him, not even glancing at the blur of human faces along either side of them.

Everyone flooded from the shrine building into the courtyard behind them, attempting to catch up to the newly married couple, but Inuyasha's pace was too fast for them. He walked straight into the reception building and then stopped abruptly, flinging Kikyo's hand from him, feeling like acid was making its way up his esophagus begging to be expelled. Nothing felt right. Nothing looked right. Even though he was smiling and shaking hands with people he should know, he was imploding. And then the small hands he knew so well grasped one of his in between them and made the chaos fade into nothing.

"Congratulations, Papa Yasha," Kagome whispered, the storms that were her eyes raining down on her cheeks.

Inuyasha couldn't think of anything to say so he just nodded and watched her walk away, wishing it was all over and done with. He glanced at Kikyo and saw her laughing and play flirting with some ancient foreign dignitary. It seemed as though she could handle herself, so he retreated from the sea of humanity, looking around for drinks or hors d'oeuvres or something that could occupy his hands and keep him from touching the girl who was now officially his step-daughter. There was a tower of filled champagne flutes and he took one from the bottom, half of him wishing it would crash to the ground and ruin the party, the other half praying the structure would stand so he wouldn't draw attention to himself and have the guests descend on him like a swarm of snobby locusts.

Then the music started and since he was expected to dance with Kikyo, he did. She had taught him to dance years back when they were actually dating, and he was surprised to see that his feet still remembered all the steps and didn't stomp on her once. They did the "leave room for Jesus" thing and didn't press against each other, him because he didn't want to and Kikyo because she preferred the more elegant, straight-backed way of dancing. Her posture was impeccable and he caught himself straightening up without realizing several times before their brief lifetime of a dance ended. Inuyasha wondered if her spine even had the natural S-shaped curve anymore.

They held hands and bowed laughingly to applause before separating. Others flooded onto the dance floor and Kikyo was once more surrounded by well-wishers. He was looking for an escape route when he saw Kagome in a corner, chatting with somebody's son. Her slim fingers were plucking at the necklace she wore as she smiled and laughed at whatever the barely post-pubescent grease ball of a boy was saying to her. Without hesitation, he strode towards the girl, pushing and shoving to get there faster.

"Care to dance with me, Kagome?" he said, his lips pressed in a tight smile he knew must be fearsome, judging by the look on the boy's face.

Her eyes lit up and she extended her hand to him. "Sure, Papa Yasha!"

He let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, relieved she had accepted. He didn't know what he would have done had she told him no. Forgetting about the boy she had been giving her attention to, he led her out on the floor, again pushing and shoving until they were at the corner that was the least crowded. Laughing at his roughness, Kagome placed a hand on his shoulder and began to sway with him.

"So what were you talking about with that walking zit back there?" he whispered, now glad there were no demons present since the likelihood of their conversation being overheard was low with just humans around.

"That's mean," she giggled. "It was just about school and movies and stuff. Nothing interesting."

"Can't even flirt right, the idiot," he scoffed. "What was he, like fifteen or something?"

She glared at him. "_I'm_ fifteen, Inuyasha."

He blushed and looked away. "I, uh, sometimes I forget…"

Her eyes softened and she smiled. "Me too. Sometimes."

Lowering his head so he was closer to her, he whispered the softest he could, "I wish it had been just you and me up there."

Kagome's eyes shone with a new set of tears. "I wish I could kiss you right now."

Inuyasha eyes drifted half-way shut and he almost closed the distance between them and made her wish come true, but at that moment it was as if glass shattered and he realized the severity of the situation. Their faces were almost touching, there wasn't even an inch between their bodies, Kagome's arms had found their way up and were now looped around his neck, and his hands were much too low on her back. Looking around, he saw several people glancing at them and he thought he could read suspicion in their gazes. Abruptly releasing and stepping away from the girl he loved, he gave her a small, awkward wave, trying to ignore the look of stunned hurt on her face.

"Want something to drink?" he asked casually, his eyes begging her to understand.

She shook her head and stormed off toward the head table. He followed, wanting to grab her hand and explain that he was now doing this for the two of them, not only because it was what Kikyo wanted.

"Inuyasha," Kikyo murmured happily, having snuck up behind him. "The meal is going to be served right away. Let's get seated."

He let her drag him to the long table that was facing everyone else's. There were only three chairs, two throne-like seats for the bride and groom and one little one for Kagome, their only family. These seats were the only ones without nametags and Inuyasha thanked whatever god was listening for that. Kagome was already there, sitting on the chair to the far left, and before Kikyo could, he took the seat next to her. She was surprised, he could tell, and probably more than a little angry. She must have expected Kikyo to take that seat. Plopping down in the center chair, he reached under the table with its long, embroidered tablecloth and held her hand, squeezing it slightly and caressing the back of it with his thumb. He hardly even felt his wife sit down next to him.

"Stop being so obvious!" she hissed, eyes on her empty plate.

He ignored her and stared at his own plate without seeing it, concentrating on the feeling of her hand in his, wishing he could stare at her without anyone thinking it was odd. She looked so lovely in that dress, especially with the ring he had given her hanging just so. It complimented and enhanced her look. Sighing, he didn't even find himself hungry when the food was placed in front of him, even though the steak was expensive-smelling and cooked just to his liking. He wanted to tell that to Kagome, wanting to hear her laugh and say how that would be impossible with his appetite, wrinkling her nose as she teased him, the same way she did when she came. And then he'd reply, saying how he wanted to eat _something else_—

"I am so glad I chose these delightful little tarts instead of the more traditional wedding cake, Inuyasha, aren't you? Cake's been done. This is the age of the tart, mark my words."

Grunting in reply, he poked at the chocolate and caramel tart on his plate with a claw, not caring what Kikyo thought about him using his hands to eat. It was basically just a cookie with ice cream toppings resting on it and one of those swirly chocolate straw things, nothing brilliant. It did smell good, so he took a bite, chewing half-heartedly. He still held Kagome's hand, even though it was hard to eat with only his left hand. Inuyasha couldn't wait to get out of there and tried to communicate that to her by gently swinging their hands back and forth. She squeezed back lightly, as if telling him to be patient. He smiled and obeyed.

All their guests came up to their table and he felt awkward sitting there like some sort of king, waiting for the lesser nobles to come up and kiss his ring if they dared to be so bold. He felt like a peasant, but Kikyo was definitely a queen, nodding and smiling without showing her teeth, kissing the air beside faces, giving equal time to all so nobody felt special or snubbed. And Kagome? She was out of this world, he thought dreamily. An angel. Nobody else would love him enough to go through this with him, for him. And she didn't even know all the details. He frowned. That's right, Kagome didn't know her mother was dying. Inuyasha kept assuring her they would be together, but he knew his relationship with Kikyo wouldn't last long, that the end was soon and inevitable. They wouldn't even have to hurt her. But Kagome didn't know what he did. She thought her mother was healthy and marrying him for money or something. He wanted to tell her but he settled for lacing his fingers with hers.

Kikyo's words came drifting to him through the noise of chatter and silverware. "…been wonderful, but I'm afraid my husband and I will have to take our leave. We'd like to thank you, our dearest friends, for coming to witness our somewhat delayed," there was a spattering of laughter, "nuptials. Please, continue to enjoy the food and drink. Have a wonderful evening!"

Everyone called out their goodbyes and some made ancient innuendoes, and he and Kikyo laughed and rose. At the last moment, he withdrew his hand from Kagome's and switched to his wife's, only to keep up appearances. He repressed a shudder; his fingers felt cold and small without hers to complete them. Once they were outside, he dropped Kikyo's hand, absently wiping his off on his pant leg.

"Darling! I was wondering when they'd release you," said a tall, pleasant-looking man who seemed to emerge straight from the shadows.

Kikyo smiled in a way he had never seen her do before. "Suikotsu! I thought we agreed to meet at the house. What are you doing here?"

The man, Suikotsu, enveloped her in his arms, nuzzling the top of her head with his nose. "I couldn't wait to see you."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the romantic display. It was all just so cliché. Now he and Kagome had something different, he thought with pride, something special the likes of which the world had seldom seen before. He looked around for her, remembering that she had followed quietly behind them when they exited the hellhole of a reception hall. Not seeing her immediately, he began to panic and walked back to the building, wondering if she had been intercepted by that kid who had been chatting her up earlier. There was a flash of pale gold in his peripheral and he turned. There she was, huddled by some old, run down well house. He jogged over to her.

"What are you doing all the way over here, angel?" he murmured. It was odd that she was crouching close to the ground in an expensive evening gown, but odder still was the expression on her face. It struck him to his core and he nearly fell to the ground himself in his concern for her. It was a look of pure fear.

"I-I need to get away," she said in a high, shaky voice. "I can't be here. I can't be where he is."

"Who? Who are you talking about, Kagome?" He knelt beside her and gently stroked her shoulder even though she was scaring him so much he felt like shaking her and taking her into his arms all at once.

"That man," she said with a sob. "The one who's touching Mother! We have to get her away from him."

"Kagome, that's just Suikotsu. Your mom's been dating him for quite a while now," he said, then immediately remembered Kikyo had sworn him to secrecy about that little fact. Oh well. They had been the ones all over each other in front of her, they spilled the beans themselves. At least now there was one less thing he had to keep from Kagome.

"They—They—" Her eyes went wide and her mouth was open in horror. She shook her head rapidly from side to side in denial. "No! How? _No._"

"Hey, calm down. Why are you acting like this? He seems like an okay guy. A bit of a wimp, but okay."

Kagome turned her pale face to him. "He's evil, Inuyasha. He's—He's—"

He rubbed her back soothingly. "I know you don't like him, angel. Your mom told me you used to have nightmares about him when you were little. But he's going on the honeymoon with us. He's going to keep her occupied so we can have time to ourselves."

He could feel her shaking, trembling. "He's…coming with us?" she whispered.

Inuyasha nodded. "They're gonna be locked up in their room on one side of the house and we'll be locked up in ours. Don't worry, I'll protect you," he promised, seriously doubting that this was much more than a childhood fear of the doctor she had managed to hold onto.

"Stay with me, Inuyasha," she said, leaning against him as he helped her to her feet. "I don't want to talk to him, I don't want him to see me. Let's go to your other house before they do, okay?"

He frowned, looking at her much more frail-seeming form. Her hands were clenched and her knuckles were white. The color had drained from her face, only the pink lipstick on her mouth was bright. Slowly, he nodded. She needed him right now. "Wait here, let me tell your mom."

Jogging back over to where Kikyo and Suikotsu stood close together, he coughed and got their attention.

"So, uh, I was thinking maybe the two of you could drive up together and I could take Kagome. She's really tired and she wants to rest."

"That seems reasonable," said Kikyo. "My keys are in the car. I'll leave my baggage in the trunk and Kagome can bring it in once you arrive."

He nodded and went back to Kagome. He offered to carry her but she shook her head and slipped off her small heeled shoes, taking off at a run to Kikyo's car. Worried, he followed her. She had never reacted this extreme to anything before. What was going on?

The drive was long and silent. It was five hours away, too short to bother with the hassle of flying yet too long to be borne patiently if driving. Kagome was curled up next to him, her arms wrapped around her knees, eyes staring sightlessly out the window. He glanced at her almost every couple of minutes, becoming more worried each time he did. She just seemed so scared, so blank, and he was starting to panic in response to her emotions.

He cleared his throat. "If you want, you can curl up in back and sleep before we get there."

Kagome shook her head. "No, thank you. I like being up here with you."

Her quiet words brought a small smile to his face and he felt calmer. "Do you want some music?"

She shook her head again.

"Can you tell me?"

"Tell you what?" she said, feigning ignorance.

"Why you're so scared of him."

She sighed. "Promise you'll believe me?"

"I know you're not a liar, Kagome. Angels can't lie," he said teasingly, wanting to break the sudden walls down.

"Okay," she started, taking a deep breath. "Well, we first started seeing Dr. Shichi when I was really little, I don't remember how young. I really liked him at first. He was nice and gentle and funny and he gave me candy and let me pick my own band-aid and everything. We saw him for a while, and then…"

Inuyasha's blood ran cold. He was starting to get a feel for where this was going. "He—He didn't _touch_ you, did he?"

"No!" she cried, waving her hands to show how opposed she was to the very idea. "Not that. Thankfully. But one day, when Urasue was on one of her few vacations, we went to Dr. Shichi's and Mother said it wasn't for me, it was for her. I was confused since Mother told me he was a doctor only for children, but she had been sick with the flu lately so it wasn't too surprising. I stayed in the waiting room for as long as I could. It felt like hours. The receptionist left and turned almost all the lights off. I was the only one there and Mother still hadn't come back. So finally, I worked up the courage to go and try to find her. I was so scared, I thought she had left me forever. I—," her lower lip began to tremble and the child in her face was never more apparent to him. "I opened a door, and there was Mother and that man. There was…blood. On the floor. Not a lot, but enough. And in a small cardboard box right in front of me, there was this small little bloody thing. I didn't know what it was at first, it just looked like a little piece of meat. But then I saw the tiniest little arms…twitching. And a face. But Mother... She was on her knees in front of him. I don't have to tell you what they were doing. I was too scared to scream. And he _looked_ at me. He looked at me and smiled and that's when—that's when he…_released_ into Mother's—"

Kagome began to shake and sob so violently he was afraid she was going to hurt herself, but as suddenly as it started, she calmed down and dried her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I didn't know what I had seen until years later, although on some level I think I always did. I named the baby Souta. I never told Mother. She must have been around twenty weeks pregnant. It must have been his, Dr. Shichi's. What I don't understand is how could she, after all that, do what she did?" Her eyes were big and she turned to him as though he could give her an answer. "She must have been in so much pain from the abortion. She was _bleeding_. How? I keep trying not to judge her, but I can still see Souta. He was moving and she was just... I-I begged for a brother or sister. I—" She pressed her hand to her lips, stopping her sobs and words.

Inuyasha wanted to cry with her, to hold her, to kill Suikotsu and those who caused her pain. But he found himself overwhelmingly grateful that it hadn't been Kagome in the box, that Kikyo had kept the girl that was now traumatized and shaking by his side. And he wasn't surprised. Kikyo had more than a few kinks, pain and domination being one of them. She didn't let anybody boss her around in the real world, but in the bedroom she was anyone's slave.

"Fucking hell. I'm so sorry, Kagome. I don't know what to say," he said, pulling into the garage of his seldom used beach house.

"Nobody does," she whispered. "That's because there's nothing to say to that."

She let him carry her into the house and he savored the warmth, the realness of her. Several times he almost tripped over the stepping stones, concentrating on her scent and the softness of her skin more than on where he was going. They made it in alive and he traveled to the second floor, entering through a set of double doors and then setting Kagome on her feet. Pulling a key out of his pocket, he locked the doors behind them.

"This is our side of the house," he explained. "Your mother and, um, her friend are going to be way on the other side on the first floor. We're going to take the room at the very end of the hall so there's no way anyone can hear anything, neither us nor the two of them. My fake room will be two doors down from ours." He didn't think his new bride and her companion would be leaving their room. From what Kikyo had told him, they had not seen each other in a while, and knowing her, they wouldn't be leaving their room much. He and his own companion would be safe at the opposite end of the house.

Kagome nodded and slipped her hand into his, smiling up at him. It didn't have the radiance her smiles normally did, but it was still beautiful. He leaned down and kissed her, tipping her back like they did in old movies.

"I needed that," he whispered against her lips, making her giggle.

They ran to the room, hand in hand, both suddenly giddy, the anticipation that had been building ever since they first saw each other finally coming to a head. The room was large, his favorite one, the one he always used when he came here. It was the one he and Kikyo had stayed in the entire weekend they were here, and that was part of the reason why he now wanted to share it with Kagome. He needed to replace the memories he had with Kikyo, with every other woman, with Kagome. She was it. He wanted and needed to give her everything.

When they got into the room, all they did was stare at one other in the soft light. The décor was almost entirely dark blue and gold, Kagome's dress fitting in perfectly. He looked at her eyes, which were still slightly swollen, at the wetness that seemed to be present on her face at least once a day since they had started this. Twirling her hair around his hand, he pulled back and ran his tongue down her throat, knowing she was biting her lip but not seeing it. He smelled her hair, having long lost his self-consciousness about that particular urge. Kagome smelled so good, so sweet. He had never just wanted to smell someone before he met her. Idly, he wondered if it was possible to manufacture a scented candle or air freshener in her scent so he could fill his office or the house with it while she was at school.

Kagome pulled his head up and kissed him. It was soft and dreamy and timid and insistent all at once. He moaned and walked her to the bed, pushing her down on it, taking a second to memorize the way she looked with her hair fanned out on the bedspread, her lipstick messed up, her breasts almost completely coming out of her dress. And the ring. The chain had pooled at her neck and his mother's most precious material possession rested on her throat. He kissed it, stroking her shoulder, then made his way down. They both knew this night was different, that it had to be. They either had to grow closer or allow themselves to be torn apart, and neither one of them was willing for the latter to happen.

He was gentler than he had ever been, even during his previous times with Kagome. She was shaking and covered in a fine sweat and he hadn't even touched any of her most sensitive areas yet. Feeling the time was right, he shed his shirt and jacket, almost getting strangled by his tie when he forgot he was wearing one. Kagome laughed and it took away some of the intensity of the moment, but it was not missed. This was real. This was them.

"You look so beautiful tonight, Kagome," he said, kissing her left temple, then along her cheekbone, then her lips, tasting the still creamy lipstick and finding it divine since it was flavored with both their saliva. "You were the most beautiful woman there. No one else came close."

She tugged on a lock of his hair, twirling it around her finger, still not used to his compliments. "I wanted to be pretty for you," she confessed. "I wanted you to look at me."

"It worked," he smirked, feeling a thrill go up his spine. "Even if you had shown up in baggy sweatpants and a raggedy old shirt, I still would have only had eyes for you."

She laughed and kissed him, rapidly recreating the serious mood they had before with the little licks and flicks of her tongue. Becoming impatient, Inuyasha rose up and searched along her side, finding the zipper to her beautiful dress and yanking it down, slipping it off of her and flinging it behind him. He actually salivated when he saw she was wearing nothing underneath.

"This entire time," he said wonderingly, circling a nipple with the back of his claw.

"I was wondering if you had realized," she said, proud she had managed to fluster him.

"Fuck, if I had known earlier we would have done it in the goddamn shrine."

Without warning, he latched onto her breast, sucking and gently biting the nipple, bringing his head up and then rubbing the shining nub with his thumb, teasing her to the point of gasping. He switched to the other one, pinching the tip of the breast he had vacated. His heart had told him to be gentle on this special night, but he knew Kagome liked a little rough treatment when it came to her breasts so he gave her what she wanted. Kissing his way down her abdomen, he placed himself in front of the area his mouth and hands knew very well. Holding her thighs apart, he licked her clit and stopped when she bucked her hips up, a smile on his face. Caressing the skin below her belly button, he licked again, slowly, then plunged his tongue into her, burying his face in her hot heat. He sucked on the heated little bump, and just as she was about to cum, he stopped and licked his way back up her body, grasping a breast in each hand and massaging them.

"Why—why did you stop?" she asked, out of breath, panting for his tongue.

He kissed her. "I'm going to make you cum another way tonight."

Her eyes widened, partly in fear and partly in surprise, even though he knew she had been thinking the same things he had. That was the real reason why they had never gone further before. It was because they needed something special, something strong to bind them together on this night. Kagome nodded, and suddenly the gentleness was back in his touch. He kissed her, slow and soft and deep, his thumbs brushing across her nipples. He didn't warn her and penetrated her quickly, swallowing her cry of pain, surprised when he was out of breath himself at the sensation. He enjoyed the feeling of her tearing around him, because even though it had hurt her, it meant he was the only one, the first and the last. She would never know another, he would make sure of that. Vowing to use all his experience (which could probably fill an entire series of books), he waited until he felt her relax around him to thrust again, making sure it was shallow. Reaching down between them, he found her clit and began rubbing it, surprised and pleased when she bucked up into him just as she had before. Kagome was so strong when she wanted to be, when he needed her to be. A little pain and blood weren't going to deter her from getting what they both wanted. He nibbled on her lip and thrust again, deeper and harder, and when she only pushed back he let himself love her without restrictions, rubbing her and peppering her face with kisses. The feeling of being inside her was unlike any other experience he'd ever had. He almost wanted to stop and just lay there with her in his arms, make the moment last forever, but that was impossible, especially with how close they both were.

"Inuyasha," she sighed in a trembling voice. He knew she was close, closer than he. She brought her arms up around his neck and kissed him, their teeth banging together from the force, but she didn't seem to mind. He pushed her down and gently tweaked a nipple, wanting to see the face she made when she came. It was the only O-face he had seen that was absolutely beautiful, not savage like so many were, like he knew his own was. When she lost control, she did so adorably, in a way he found to be ideal. He thrust, deeper than ever, hitting a spot that made her cry out in ecstasy, and felt her ripple around him. He continued his thrusting, more to please her than to find his own release. Inuyasha was more concerned with concentrating on her features, watching the wrinkling of the nose, the tiny furrow of her brow, the trembling of her upper lip that was so slight he always almost missed it, and then finally, the single tear from each eye. Without realizing its approach, he orgasmed, filling her with his seed.

They couldn't be apart, he knew that for certain now. This last surrender had rendered him incapable of ever truly wanting another. He was drawn to her from the start, and the more time he spent with her, the more he couldn't bear even the idea of not being with her. Was that not fate? It was meant to be.

Inuyasha rolled to the side, taking Kagome with him, not separating from her. He wanted to savor this. Looking up into her bright eyes, he smiled. Gently, he kissed her face, once for each light, little freckle she had on her nose. Nineteen. She had more freckles on that tiny strip of skin than she had years. The thought made him hold her closer, tighter.

"You are the best thing that has ever entered into my life," she whispered, kissing him between the eyes.

"I love you." Now was the time to say it.

Her mouth dropped open. "Since—since when?"

"Since before either of us were born," he answered. What they had was fate. Destiny.

"Why now, then? Why tell me now?"

He laughed. "At first I didn't want to scare you off, and then I didn't want you to think I was saying it just to get you into bed."

"I…love you, too, Inuyasha," she whispered. "I never thought this could happen to me, not with someone like you. You're so wonderful," she said, gently cupping his cheek. Kagome looked at him as if her were the entire world, and in that moment, he felt truly loved, more loved than he had felt in several lifetimes. The warmth ran through him and he had to hold back tears, not wanting to shed them in front of Kagome even though she had done so in his presence numerous times.

"You're wonderful," he choked out, turning his head to kiss her palm.

"Am… Am I bad?" she asked in a quiet voice. "Am I bad for loving you?"

"No, Kagome," he said forcefully. "Love can never be bad. You're a good, good girl. The best girl. You're an angel."

The words seemed to stop another flood of her tears and he smiled at her, wanting her to be happy tonight, on their night.

"Here," he said, unclasping the necklace. Taking the ring from it, he put it on her left ring finger again. "Wear it there from now on, okay? This night, everything that happened, means we're committed. We're together, just us, forever."

She nodded and rolled off of him and to his side, nuzzling into him. "You didn't give Mother a ring. Why?"

He sighed. He hadn't wanted to think about Kikyo or the wedding or anything while with Kagome. "A ring means something, Kagome. You're the only one who's ever going to get a ring from me."

That answer seemed to satisfy her and she quickly fell asleep, leaving him awake and in a slight daze, part of him not believing what had just happened. He drifted off shortly after, holding her to his chest, lulled by their combined scents.


	12. The One That You Like Best

**Note: So, I was just wondering. Does anyone not like Inuyasha and Kagome being together right now? Do you think they should wait or something? Let's be honest, if we heard about this in real life we'd be all like "Omg ewwww I hate humanity", but it's the interwebz so we cream our jeans over it all. Problems? Questions? Complaints? Ballads composed to honor my beauty and brains and talent and grace? **

***Song for the chapter: Wishful Thinking by The Ditty Bops***

Inuyasha woke before Kagome, as he almost always did, and lay in the dim room just staring at her. Happiness, confusion, anger, but most of all he felt love. He only felt love for her, happiness at being around her. The rest of his emotions were in reaction to their situation, which was going to be almost hopeless for a long time. Their stolen moments were always sweet, but how long would it be before the novelty of something forbidden would fade for her? Humans were different. They were a whole chemistry set of emotions. And their feelings weren't permanent. It was very hard for someone with demonic blood to move on from a love relationship. He knew that first-hand. But Kikyo and Kagome were different. He would not be able to forget Kagome. If she left, it would destroy him.

"What's on your mind?" Kagome questioned softly, climbing on him, resting chest to chest.

He forced a smile and stroked her hair. "You."

He got a kiss on the lips for that. His hands decided to snake down to her backside and squeeze.

"Ouch," Kagome hissed. "Sorry, I'm kinda sore in that entire, uh, lower area."

"Sorry," he murmured, kissing her cheekbone reverently.

"It had to be done."

"Are you hungry?" It was an abrupt change of subject, but a necessary one. For him, anyway.

She laughed. "I take it that means you're starving. How long were you awake before I got up?"

He shrugged as best as he could in his position. "A few hours."

"You could have gone out for something. I wouldn't have minded," she said softly, tracing his lips with her pinky finger, smirking when he playfully nipped at her.

"We'll go down for something together, come on. The caretaker should have something in the cabinets," he said, gently disentangling himself from her and leaping out of bed. He didn't want to leave the sanctuary of the room, but he had not eaten properly at the reception and he was absolutely ravenous.

She frowned. "Shouldn't you go down first? I'll follow in like ten minutes."

"Why?" he asked, pulling on a pair of jeans.

"Because of Mother…"

Oh. He had nearly forgotten that they were sharing the house with the other couple.

"I guess that's sensible," he muttered, reality setting in and making him feel down. Sighing heavily, he went out the door, closing it behind him to see Kagome already beginning to change into a pair of modest pajamas, humming happily, not even glancing at him.

Inuyasha drifted down the stairs, the dreamy high he had been consumed by ever since last night now slowly starting to dissipate. His ears twitched, picking up noises from where he was headed, but his mind didn't register it, too intent on the girl he had left upstairs. That was why he was surprised into jumping back a bit when he saw his wife laughing and chatting with her boyfriend, who was shirtless and busily flipping pancakes and reciting some sort of funny medical anecdote.

Kikyo's attention turned to him when he entered and her smile widened. "Did you sleep well, Inuyasha?"

"Uh, yeah," he said nervously, glancing at Suikotsu. Even though he believed Kagome had been telling the truth about him, seeing him as he was now made it difficult to process. How could this laughing, domestic-looking pediatrician have terminated his lover's pregnancy, a pregnancy that was the fruit of their union? And then after… He shuddered, not wanting to think about it. Inuyasha wasn't sure whether to kill him where he stood or wait until after he had finished making the pancakes. He decided on the latter and sat down across the table from Kikyo.

"When did you two get in?" he asked, hoping they would carry on the conversation themselves now that he had contributed a few words.

"Only a few hours ago," Kikyo said, turning to smile at Suikotsu. "We were out on the beach to watch the sunrise. We're going to go cliff diving after breakfast."

He nodded. It seemed as though both he and his wife had had a fulfilling, romantic first night of their honeymoon, even though it was with different people. Though she had said before that she wanted a "real marriage", she seemed to be perfectly content with the way things were at present. Unless she wanted them both, which was quite likely, considering the woman had always wanted everything and more.

"Juice, Inuyasha?" Suikotsu asked politely, his voice cheerful. Inuyasha grunted in the affirmative and it appeared in front of him almost immediately. It was really, really hard to dislike the guy, even if they were eskimo brothers and he was apparently some sort of insane psychopathic creepy fucker.

"Ah, Kagome, nice to see you up!" the doctor said happily.

Inuyasha turned quickly and saw Kagome standing in the doorway, her eyes wide and her hands twiddling with the bottom of her top. Their eyes met and he tried to smile at her, hoping to calm her down. It seemed to work and she shuffled over to the table, quietly sitting down next to him. He was surprised at her actions; he had assumed she would be even more paranoid than ever now that he was officially married, but he was glad she was by his side. He wondered how Kikyo was going to explain her relationship with the man her daughter had feared for so long, but quickly came to the conclusion from her detached expression that his wife was not going to make any attempt at explaining herself. He sneered, mentally calling her a coward.

"Here, Kagome, have my juice," he said, trying to keep the tenderness out of his voice. Suddenly, he wanted to be the one flipping pancakes and telling stupid stories only she would find interesting. He wanted to give everything to her because that was what she deserved.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she whispered, taking a small sip.

Kikyo somehow managed to giggle in a completely mature fashion. "What happened to Papa Yasha?"

Kagome immediately blushed and he knew his face was looking a similar shade of red.

"Papa what?" Suikotsu asked, coming back over to the table while the bacon and sausages cooked.

"Papa Yasha," Kikyo continued. "Kagome gave him the most childish little nickname. 'Papa Yasha'. And Papa here just loved it," she explained.

The two of them laughed and he felt his earlier anger return, the anger and hopelessness that was just a hairsbreadth away from depression. He wished there was a table cloth on this table so he could hold her hand in secret again, provide her some small measure of comfort.

"In all seriousness, Inuyasha, thank you for babysitting my daughter so much. I'm sorry I've been gone so long, but honestly I never meant to just dump her on you like that," Kikyo said casually, sipping her coffee.

"You know what, Kikyo?" he said from between clenched teeth. He could practically feel the burning in Kagome's throat from trying to hold her tears back, as well as smell the salt from her sadness as it attempted to fight its way out onto her cheeks. "I think you and your boyfriend can enjoy this vacation alone. I want to go back to work and I'm sure Kagome would rather prepare for the rest of the school year than listen to you."

Kikyo rolled her eyes and Kagome looked up at him, surprised he was actually sticking up for her like that.

"You were the one who insisted we bring Suikotsu and Kagome along, Inuyasha. Now's not the time to get jealous," she huffed.

Inuyasha was the one to roll his eyes this time as he stood up and reached into the pocket of his jeans to toss the keys on the table. "There. Lock the house up when you're done. I'm gonna take your car back."

He turned and left without another glance, hoping Kagome would follow behind him so he wouldn't have to go back to get her and ruin his exit. He heard her shuffling behind him and he breathed easier, opening the door of the car and slamming it behind him as he entered, Kagome following suit. He sped out of the driveway the minute she put her seatbelt on, the tires squealing as he drove.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing?" she asked, sounding as though she were gently scolding an unreasonable child. All it did was manage to further ruffle his feathers.

"You've got to fucking stick up for yourself, goddammit!" he yelled, pressing the accelerator to the floor.

"I know," Kagome muttered. "Thank you for saying something. But really, think about it. We left all our clothes and luggage in the room," she said.

He froze. Their clothes were scattered helter skelter all over the room they had shared. What if Kikyo went in, curious to see how the room they had spent a couple nice nights in so many years ago had changed? She would see her daughter's dress crumpled in a corner, her husband's wedding garments in various spots around the room. It would be obvious.

"Don't worry," she soothed, "I packed everything away and put my suitcase in another room."

Inuyasha relaxed, easing his foot off the pedal little by little. "You think of everything," he breathed in relief.

"I just wish it didn't have to be this way."

He murmured in agreement, thinking about how many wishes they'd made since they started this whole thing. How many were yet to come?

"So, are you ever going to call me Papa Yasha again?" he asked teasingly, hoping his clumsy change of subject would lift the heaviness from the air.

Kagome laughed lightly. "I think we've come too far for me to still be calling you 'papa'. It was getting weird."

Although Inuyasha was happy to finally be rid of the hated title, part of him would miss it. It was something only they had, a part of their short history. The drive was silent after that, with him deep in thought and Kagome catching up on the sleep she'd missed due to last night's activities. They reached their home a little after two in the afternoon, and he picked her up, failing in his attempts at not waking her, and laughingly carried her over the threshold, kissing her once they were fully inside.

He made to put her down when she yanked a lock of his hair and blushingly whispered, "There's one more threshold I think you should carry me over."

Inuyasha barked out a short laugh and ran clumsily up the stairs with her. They barely made it into his room before she was all over him, laying hot kisses on his throat and the small part of his chest that was not covered by his shirt, rubbing the nape of his neck with just the tips of her fingers. Plopping her on the bed, he practically ripped his shirt off before stopping half-way and panting out, "I really, really hope you're not so sore now."

She responded by slowly pulling down her pajama pants and shrugging out of her loose top. Nearly tripping over his not quite undone jeans, he growled as he made his way over her, dragging his hands up her body and caressing her in a few sensitive areas. Her cheeks were flushed by the time his lips met hers again and they both became lost in each other. Inuyasha entered Kagome without a warning and she tensed up, still tender, relaxing only when he leaned down to kiss and suck at her breasts. When she began mewling he moved again, thrusting into her and feeling as though he were drowning in her scent and sounds. She came as he kissed her lips and he followed soon after, not once tearing his lips from hers. Sighing contentedly, he rolled onto his back and took her into his arms, kissing the top of her head when she snuggled into his chest.

"I really love you, Inuyasha," she whispered near his collarbone.

"I love you too, angel."

Somehow, they both fell asleep again, having been tired out from the drive and the brief honeymoon. When Inuyasha awoke again, it was dark and he was still somewhat sleepy. Sniffing around, he tried to search with his nose for what could have woken him before he was ready. Nothing came to him and he relaxed, stroking the ends of Kagome's hair near her hip. She moaned and rubbed her face against where she still lay on his chest.

"Inuyasha, what are—"

He sensed it, his ears, nose and eyes for once failing to protect him. Moving faster than he ever had, he tossed Kagome to the side and flung the sheets and blankets onto her, hoping they would offer some sort of protection if worse came to worst. Standing above him was a man holding a knife, and judging by the fact he had not managed to pick up on his presence until the last possible second, he was a skilled assassin. Not quite skilled enough, though, Inuyasha thought, smirking to himself as he noiselessly cut into him with his claws, catching the man in the throat and chest. The would-be assassin fell to the floor with a loud thump and he breathed a sigh of relief. Looking to where he had placed Kagome, he saw her staring at him with wide eyes, mouth open in a silent scream.

"I-Inuyasha…" she whispered, and he moved to hold her in his arms but she pushed him away. Frowning, he looked down at his hands. He had forgotten about the blood and gore under his nails and on his skin up to beyond his wrist.

"I'm sorry you had to see that, Kagome," he said sheepishly.

She said nothing, only moved to turn on the lamp at the nightstand beside her. "What _happened_?!" she said in a loud, strained voice.

He shook his head. "It was my goddamn brother. That bastard probably considered it a wedding gift."

"You…You have a brother? Why wasn't he at the wedding?"

"We don't get along," he said, gesturing to where the dead man lay. "He tries to exterminate me every so often."

The tears started and she surprised him by throwing herself at him, embracing him tightly. "You could have died!"

He kissed the side of her head and rubbed her back with his clean hand. "Shhh, it's okay. It's happened before and we're both alright. If he was really serious, he wouldn't have sent a human."

Kagome shuddered. "I was so scared."

He breathed in the scent of her hair, remembering all the details that made it so hard to be in a relationship with someone. He hadn't lived with Kikyo and Sesshomaru never went after those close to him unless they were literally close in proximity.

Holding the shocked girl against him with one hand, he took his stained one and reached for where he had left his cell phone on his own nightstand. Quickly, he dialed Myoga, the only one he really ever contacted.

Without waiting for an answer, he growled out, "I need you here to clean up a gift of Sesshomaru's, the usual kind. And pull up a list of skilled female bodyguards. Narrow it down and schedule interviews."

Murmuring soothing words, he led Kagome to her room, leaving her for a brief moment to wash the blood that was mostly on his right hand but also splattered on his chest and face. He climbed into bed next to her, for the first time in years genuinely angry at his brother. It was one thing to do that to him when he was alone, but now Kagome was deeply scarred. Rearranging their bodies so that they were reclining as they had before, he kissed the top of her head and slowly allowed himself to drift off, trusting Myoga to enter silently, do his job, and leave just as silently. Myoga loved doing the clean-up himself even though he had untold amounts of minions. Inuyasha always made a huge mess with the blood and it pooled in a delightful way the flea demon found quite irresistible. Inuyasha could probably get away with paying him in blood alone, but that would quickly become a larger ordeal than he was willing to handle. The majority of his salary was in plain cash, with more than double the amount of time off he gave to his employees. He never asked questions when his secretary went on "vacation", but he had a few good guesses that he hoped would not ever become certainties.

**Note: Haha, Kikyo. Cliffs. Cliff diving. Ha.**


	13. I Am the Armor

***Song for the chapter: I Am Your Skin by The Bravery***

An entire week passed during which they enjoyed each other on nearly every surface in the house. Kagome was having trouble sleeping, and while it worried him to the point of pain, it did give them more time to be together and he cherished every moment. Finally, the day came when she had to go back to school. Inuyasha tried to convince her to stay for just one more day, but she was adamant, insisting that her studies were necessary if she were to survive in the real world. He relented, but only because he knew she was still scared from what happened that night and probably needed to be outside more.

On the morning she was to go back to school, he woke her up early and carried her to the Goshinboku. He loved her passionately, looking into her stormy eyes with his intense ones, making a last-ditch effort to keep her with him, even though he knew it wouldn't work. She came twice before he allowed himself to finish, and he acknowledged privately to himself that it was one of the most difficult things he had ever done.

As they lay in the morning sunlight together, Kagome smiled at him in a knowing way. "It's not going to work, Inuyasha. You did make me want to come back early, though. I'm going to be thinking about this all day," she said, laying a lingering kiss on his temple.

He growled and chased her back into the house, both laughing breathlessly the entire time, then waited downstairs for her to dress since she argued that if he went with her they might never leave. He dropped her off, feeling somewhat better when she lost track of time while kissing him and was almost late. After the last glimpse of the green material of her skirt swished through the door, he sighed and drove to work.

He rode the elevator to his floor, muttering his salutations to people he didn't even bother to look at. When he finally got to his office, he stopped at the sight of a huge crowd in and around it. Pushing and shoving his way through them, receiving a multitude of glares, he arrived at Myoga's desk.

"Who the _fuck_ are all these people, Myoga?!" he roared over the noise of the chattering, sweaty crowd.

His long-suffering secretary/assistant gave him a look that let Inuyasha know he was struggling not to roll his eyes. "The bodyguard candidates for your step-daughter, sir. As you requested."

Realization dawning, Inuyasha looked around at all the crew cuts and broad shoulders. "I thought I said _female_ bodyguards," he grumbled. He did not want Kagome in the company of some strange man for eight hours a day. The youngest ones among them looked twice her age. Who knew what they'd try on her? Fuckin' perverts.

Myoga coughed and glanced around at the packed office. "Er, they _are _women, sir. Your accountant friend has already verified that."

Myoga gestured to where his personal accountant and maybe friend, Miroku Houshi, lay sprawled on the couch, knocked out. He wore a huge, gaping grin and the entire right side of his face was swollen red and already starting to bruise, his glasses askew and cracked.

"Who did this?" Inuyasha asked, amazed.

"I did it. That pervert groped me," came a low yet slightly nasally voice from somewhere in the middle of the crowd. A woman stepped forward, one that actually looked like a female although she was still somewhat too handsome according to his tastes.

He whistled, staring at the handprint on the unconscious man's face. "Just from one slap? You're hired. What's your name?"

The woman followed him as he walked into his office and shut the door. "Sango. Sango Taijiya."

He sat down behind his desk and gestured for her to sit down at the one chair on the other side. "Good. Kagome is busy right now so I'll get you two acquainted when she comes back. You will guard her at all times that I am not with her, which will be from about 7:30 in the morning to three in the afternoon." That was when Kagome was in school, and since he would be driving her there and picking her up there would be no reason to have Sango stay longer than that.

The woman across from him nodded once. "We were not told the details of this position, Mr. Taisho. Why do you feel she needs to be guarded so closely?"

He raised an eyebrow. The fact that he was wealthy was reason enough for a bodyguard and he felt like making a sarcastic remark, but then he decided to be more open with her. It could possibly help her defend Kagome better should something ever happen. He sighed.

"Kagome is naïve and delicate, somewhat child-like. We were attacked last week in our home, and while I am used to it and acted quickly, she was frightened. She was quite shaken and could not sleep well for days, hardly eating. I don't want to see her like that again," he said with an internal shudder. Just thinking about the couple of days after the event made him feel physically ill. She had clung to him like a little girl, just to make sure he was still alive and well and solid. He had caught her eyes examining his claws from time to time, but he hadn't glimpsed any fear in the grey pools he so loved. That, at least, consoled him and sustained him through the long nights when she lay silently, awake and unmoving, her head on his shoulder, one palm over his heart.

A small smile appeared on Sango's face and she said, "You obviously love your wife very much, Mr. Taisho. It's nice to see."

Inuyasha coughed nervously. "She's, uh, she isn't—Kagome is my step-daughter. But I love her very much. She's, um, she's like my own daughter," he finished, grossing himself out with his own words.

"Oh. My mistake."

"Ha, uh, no problem." He took out a pen and piece of paper from one of his desk drawers and started writing on it. "Here are directions to my home from this office and my personal cell phone number. Please arrive at my home by seven this evening. We can go over the contract and you can meet Kagome over dinner." Inuyasha normally would not have invited anyone who wasn't a delivery person to his home, but Kagome didn't like crowded restaurants and was most relaxed in the familiar surroundings of their house, their shelter, their love nest. It would be easier for her to warm up to a stranger in a place she already felt comfortable. It would also be less of an effort on his part. Getting dressed nice and going out was just too much of a hassle and he'd rather be in a place where he could smell the lingering traces of his and Kagome's coupling.

Sango nodded again, only once, in that same sure and succinct fashion. "Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Taisho."

He waved her out dismissively, his mind already on other things, mostly naked Kagome-related things. Inuyasha hoped that she would get along with the woman he chose to guard her. She would have objected strongly to any kind of extra supervision before, but after she saw him tear into a man who had been intent on killing one or both of them, the girl would probably be more open to the idea. Hell, he'd follow her himself if he could. He had thought about it, even began to make plans so that he could work over the phone and hide himself so she wouldn't see, since he knew she would definitely rebel if he were the one doing the protecting, but it would be difficult to explain his absence to Myoga and Kikyo, should either of them find out. Plus, as much as he'd love to follow her around all day, he did have other responsibilities. Inuyasha had neglected Tetsusaiga, and he was loath to completely abandon something he had worked so hard on, even for someone as precious as his teenage step-daughter.

The body guard was just a precaution, anyway. His asshole of a brother had been gradually sending people to attack him less and less, and it was unlikely he'd strike again, unless he was feeling particularly bored or had been dwelling on his various less than stellar accomplishments, which he always brushed off and pretended he had meant for everything to go that certain way, and in that case he would only attack the both of them if Inuyasha were present as well. Their fraternal battles to the death had always ended in his own victory, with Sesshomaru running away and pretending he had gotten bored and that the "half-breed abomination" was no longer worth wasting his precious time. They had not fought in a good century and a half, when Inuyasha had finally figured out that fighting his brother had been a waste of _his_ time. But so help him, if that bastard did anything to Kagome or in front of Kagome again, he'd be one dead, racist demon, family bonds or no.

**Edit: Forgot to ask the first time I uploaded this, but if you could take the time to vote in my poll, please do so. It's not urgent, I'm just curious about what you guys would like to read next based only on title. Thanks. =]**


	14. That's the Way It Goes

***Song for the Chapter: Everybody Knows by Concrete Blonde***

Inuyasha was nearly humming as he pulled into the school parking lot and saw Kagome run towards the car. Now that he had had her all to himself for a week straight, it was even harder to let her go for the few hours she had to attend high school. Just as she was about to reach the safety of the vehicle, she was stopped by the same brown-haired boy that had been attempting to violate her several months ago. His hands gripped the steering wheel so hard he thought he'd crush it, but thankfully Kagome disentangled herself from the conversation and dove through the open car door. Without looking at her, he began to speed away.

"I thought I told you not to see that boy anymore, Kagome," he said angrily.

Laughing, she leaned over and kissed him on the side of his mouth. "Be careful! You're really starting to sound like a father now."

He flinched and she laughed again at his reaction and began to touch his thigh, idly caressing him up and down. When he shivered and tensed, she began to place small kisses on the side of his face, the hand on his leg climbing higher and higher.

"You keep that up and we're going to get in an accident," he said roughly.

"You better hurry home, then," she murmured, squeezing him gently through his pants. Breathing hard, he nearly doubled his speed and was inside her the minute they entered the house, their moans and cries echoing in the sparsely furnished living room. Afterward, as he lay calm and sated on the sofa with Kagome panting on his chest, he remembered their dinner plans.

"I found a woman who seems like she'd be a good personal guard for you," he said, playing with her sweaty bangs.

"A what?" she asked tiredly, gently swatting his hand away as he was now tickling her forehead with the wet locks in a somewhat annoying fashion.

"A bodyguard. I thought that after what happened you'd feel safer."

She turned her concerned eyes on him. "Do you really think I need one? Am I in any danger?"

"No, no, no," he said quickly. "At least I don't think so." Her eyes widened and he winced. "Look, Sesshomaru might try and scare you, but I don't think he'd hurt you. It would be bad for business. A bodyguard would be a deterrent against any of his stupid attempts at making me angry."

"Oh," she said, unconvinced. "Then he knows? About… About you and me?"

Inuyasha froze. "Wow. I, uh, guess he does, then. Maybe he thought you were Kikyo? But no, he always does his research."

They held each other in silence, separately processing the fact that there was a person who knew about their relationship, a person who wasn't on the best of terms with one of them.

"If I have a bodyguard," Kagome said slowly, "when are you going to find the time to bring me my lunch when I forget it?"

Inuyasha laughed and smacked her bare bottom just hard enough to leave a pale pink handprint and make her squeak. "We're just going to have to spend more time together at home, that's all."

She kissed him deeply and he moved his hands to cup her breasts when she stopped him. "We have a guest in a couple hours, Inuyasha. We should shower and look presentable."

He growled in disappointment and she rolled her eyes, sliding off of him. He watched her hips sway as she went up the stairs and then followed, restraining himself from barging into the bathroom and taking her over and over again.

"Welcome, Sango!" Kagome said cheerfully, ducking under his arm which was holding the door open. The excited girl grabbed the tough older woman's hand and drew her inside, pushing past Inuyasha with hardly a glance. Inuyasha sighed. He had forgotten how hyper Kagome could get when meeting new people, even though he had experienced it first-hand not so long ago. The memory made him smile and he followed the two women into the living room, settling down in his favorite chair.

"So how'd you get into this line of work, Sango? I like your name, by the way," Kagome chirped.

"My father trained me."

Inuyasha empathized with Sango. She was obviously not a chatty person. He had always had trouble talking to people, even Kikyo, but with Kagome he was able to be more himself.

"Oh, so it's the family business? How neat!"

Sango nodded and the conversation ceased. Kagome looked at him for help but he gave her a slight shrug, not able to think of any small talk. She laughed nervously and turned back to Sango.

"I hope you like chicken divan. When Inuyasha invited you for dinner, he forgot about the actual dinner part so I had to just put together whatever I could on such short notice," she said, glaring at him.

"Anything you provide is alright with me, Miss Higurashi."

Kagome giggled. "Please, call me Kagome. Anything else is just weird."

"We should probably get to the table before the food gets cold," Inuyasha said, not wanting to see Kagome suffer through a mostly one-sided conversation any longer.

Dinner went well, with Sango opening up more to Kagome about her family, telling her about how she had lost both her parents several years ago and was now taking care of her younger brother. Kagome was more than appropriately saddened by this news and grabbed one of Sango's hands, telling her that she would never be alone again in a way Inuyasha thought was somewhat too dramatic, but judging by the tender expression on the woman's face was just right. When they were done and Kagome had somehow talked him into eating his broccoli, an hour had passed and she shrieked when she noticed the time.

"Oh, gosh! I have a test tomorrow, so I'd better go study." She rose from her chair and gently pushed it back in. "I'll say good night now, Sango. I hope we'll become even better friends. And good night, Inuyasha," she said, smiling at him innocently, knowing he'd recognize the far from pure look in her eyes. All he wanted to do now was get Sango to sign the contract he'd had Myoga draw up and then give Kagome what she was asking for, damn her studying and tests. He and Sango both followed Kagome with their eyes as she walked away, then turned to each other as soon as she was out of sight.

"I had my assistant draw up a contract for you," he said, sliding the stapled stack of papers over to her. "It's mostly just a bunch of legal crap, the usual stuff. You already discussed your salary with Myoga and he approved it, so we don't need to go over that. The one thing I think is most important is that you never, under any circumstances, even if it's just between friends or something, discuss your employment here or anything pertaining to it."

"Like the fact you are fucking your teenage step-daughter?" she asked casually.

Inuyasha spit out the water he had been in the process of drinking, choking on part of it and gagging uncontrollably. When he finally got a hold of himself, he sputtered out, "How dare you! I-I love m-my wife."

Sango nodded casually. "Yes, sure you do. Where is she? Not here after her only child and husband were almost murdered. You were only married a week ago, you had no honeymoon, and she is nowhere to be seen, leaving her beautiful young daughter alone with you."

"My wife is very ill," he stressed, "and we are both quite busy with work."

Sango snorted in disgust. "Stop pretending. It's really none of my business. I like Kagome and I will protect her with my life if necessary, even if the one I should be protecting her from is you. However, you're the one paying me so I answer to you."

They glared at each other in silence. "How… How could you tell?" Inuyasha had been so careful to appear normal, restraining himself to the point where he thought he'd scream with the frustration of it all.

She laughed. "I knew in your office that you were in love with her and I could tell that she loves you just as much right when I saw her. And you two stare and touch much too often, and then there are times when you look at each other as though you know exactly what's under the other's clothes and you're just waiting for me to leave before you can pounce. Now, as disgusting as I believe it is with her being fifteen and you being like, five-hundred or something, she is old enough to make her own decisions. Also, since her mother isn't even present at such a crucial time, I am assuming she is not worthy of a daughter like her and that your marriage is not one of love."

Inuyasha sat, stunned. This was not the reaction he had expected from someone who knew about his affair with Kagome. In all his nightmares, they had separated them and persecuted him for daring to touch something so pure. He flushed with guilt. He had not even told Kikyo about the attacker, even after he had told Kagome he would. He had not wanted to have his time with her interrupted on the off chance that Kikyo would suddenly develop maternal concern for her offspring. Pushing his thoughts aside, he summoned all his confidence and looked at her with what he hoped was an intimidating glare. Since Kagome really liked her, he couldn't take care of this problem in his usual manner. He'd have to do things in a way the girl would appreciate, one that wouldn't leave her asking any questions.

"Do you swear never to tell anyone of this?"

"I swear. I would never ruin that sweet girl's life."

He nodded, far from satisfied, but it was the best he could do under the circumstances. He could always do things his way if she broke her word and violated her contract.

"Very well, Ms. Taijiya. You're hired."

She signed the contract in various places and he showed her to the door, hardly paying attention to the situation, lost in his thoughts. If things were so obvious, should he and Kagome tone it down? Was what they did okay just because they loved each other? There were others to consider, even if when they were together they felt like the only two people in the world. He had nearly three million employees worldwide, and if his relationship with Kagome got out, their lives may very well be ruined in addition to his own. He walked up the stairs to his room. He would have to discuss things with Kagome and formulate a plan to keep their feelings concealed if they were to continue, and of course they would.

Opening his door, he stopped in his tracks at the sight before him. Kagome lay on his bed, completely naked. She was touching herself and so close she was already beginning to shudder. Inuyasha nearly slammed the door, and she raised her head to look at him.

"You were taking so _long_," she said breathlessly. "I didn't mean to start without you, but it just kind of happened."

Nearly ripping his clothes off in his hurry, previous troubles gone out of his mind forever, he pounced, just as Sango had said earlier. He plunged into her, not bothering with foreplay since she had done all that herself, and they moved together as one, with him allowing himself to quickly reach the point she was at and finishing with her almost simultaneously. He rolled onto his back and pulled her onto his chest, the way he always did, and she kissed him all over his face and neck, making him smile from the ticklish sensations and her fervent actions.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for choosing Sango," she said in between kisses. "She's like a big sister. She's so nice and she's had such a hard time so it's good that we're going to be together from now on."

Bringing up her bodyguard had soured his mood. "Kagome… Sango knows," he said gravely. He had not planned on telling her but now he felt he had to.

"Knows what?"

"About this," he said.

She gasped in understanding. "Did you tell her?!"

"Fuck no, of course not!" he snapped. "She figured it out herself."

"…I guess this is a good thing," she whispered into his neck. "She was probably going to find out eventually. Better at the beginning so it's not such a shock."

"You're not mad?"

"No. Sango's our friend. I trust her."

Inuyasha nodded and reached over to turn off the lamp, ignoring Kagome's protests that she still had to study. If Kagome trusted Sango, then he would trust Sango. Maybe not as much, but enough.

**Note: Please vote in my poll! =D I am interested in what you guys would like to see next. I'll be keeping it open until the day after the final chapter of Strictly Taboo is posted. Again, your feedback means the world to me, and while I will never get all uppity and demand reviews, let's just say that there's a greater chance of me showing up in your house at night and cuddling you uncomfortably close while humming 80's love ballads if you don't take a few seconds out of your life and say "good update soon plz". Also, I know I've been starving you with these little tidbits, and all I can say is that things will start picking up again soon. Thanks for reading!**


	15. Into Your Eyes

***Song for the chapter: Touched by VAST***

**Note: It's the middle of the night and I'm bored and can't sleep. It's technically Monday, so here ya go.**

Kikyo came back a week after he hired Sango, and again, Kagome did not let him touch her at all. They barely even spoke and it was driving him insane. He did not feel truly at ease, at home unless she allowed him to love her openly. Inuyasha didn't tell Kikyo anything about the attacker, and he doubted Kagome would bring it up since her mother never stayed around long enough to have a proper conversation. Trying to calm his anger at present circumstances and the cruelty of fate, he played along with Kagome and hardly looked at her, barely speaking when he drove her to and from school, mostly out of spite. Kikyo would be returning to work soon enough, and then they'd be together again. He could defy his own nature and be patient.

On the fifth night of Kikyo's constant presence, he was getting fed up. Kagome was locking herself in her room nightly without even dinner, and since she was the only one who cooked, he was again living off of greasy delivery. Kikyo never cooked and always refused when he offered to order her something, so he supposed she was surviving on photosynthesis or something. As much as he complained about Kagome's cooking, the truth was he loved it. It made him feel like they were a newlywed couple, just the two of them, the way it was supposed to be. Quietly, he got up from his seat in front of the television, which he had turned on full volume in spite of the fact that Kikyo had been there reading a book for some time before he arrived with his totally unappetizing food. He stretched and started up the stairs, resigned to an early, lonely night.

"My room has been quite chilly, Inuyasha," Kikyo announced, stopping him in his tracks.

"Do you need some more blankets?" he asked worriedly, suddenly remembering that she was dying. It was so easy to forget sometimes. If her scent wasn't tinged with that bit of sickness, he'd think she was faking.

"No, thank you," she said agreeably. "However, I would like some company this evening. You seem like you'd enjoy some company as well."

Realization slowly dawned on him and he nearly grimaced in disgust. "The best I can give you is another blanket, Kikyo."

"Are you cold, Mother?" Kagome's voice came from the top of the stairs. "I have a few too many blankets, I can give you some if you'd like."

Inuyasha's head turned in her direction so fast he thought he'd strained his neck. There she was, in her nightgown, one he had bought her. It was cotton and had rose buds all over it, ending demurely at mid-calf. She wore much more mature things when they were alone with each other, but had this gown for appearances when Kikyo was home. This was the most he had heard her speak in days and he almost choked on the feelings rising in his throat.

"You know," Kikyo said, ignoring her daughter, "I remember when you were very eager for my company. It was all I could do to get you to leave me alone for a few minutes. So wild, yet so sweet. The ideal lover."

"Stop it, Kikyo," he growled, not wanting her to talk about their past in front of Kagome. He glanced at the girl and saw her gripping the bannister, knuckles white. Her eyes were blazing with an emotion he couldn't quite pinpoint, but it was obvious she was feeling whatever it was strongly.

"You used to buy me so many, many things. Whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it and more. But even if you hadn't, I would have been happy. I was content with just you and your passions. Your love."

Kagome cleared her throat. "I guess I'll keep the blankets for tonight, then. You're welcome to them, Mother."

For possibly the first time since she had been back, Kikyo addressed her daughter directly. "When are you going to start dating, Kagome? Have you even been asked? I had my first marriage proposal at your age. I was hoping for you to have similar success. God knows we'll need a strong partner if Shikon hopes to survive after you inherit it."

Kagome flushed and glared at both of them, stomping away to her room. Inuyasha heard her lock the door. He moved to follow her and apologize, but the tone of Kikyo's voice stopped him.

"Have you made any progress with Shikon?"

He sighed. "We don't know exactly how they were sabotaging you, since they didn't seem to have had any help from inside, but all funny business stopped the moment Tetsusaiga took ownership."

"I won't be happy until we have undeniable evidence that it was Onigumo and put him behind bars for the rest of his pathetic life," she snarled, suddenly vicious. "I have another conference to attend. Some feminist nonsense about women in business. Suikotsu's on his way, I should go wait for him."

She grabbed the bag he had not noticed at her feet and walked out the door without another word, something he was more than grateful for, and he heard her boyfriend's car arrive mere seconds later. Inuyasha stood still and stared at the empty room. He'd have to bring Onigumo to justice if Kikyo were to ever rest in peace. Hell, maybe she'd start her rest the sooner he ended what seemed to be her only reason for living. If Onigumo was put in jail and Kikyo felt herself able to die, then he could keep Kagome all to himself. Shocked at his dark thoughts, he exhaled loudly. Also, what was up with Kikyo trying to get him into bed and then running off with her boyfriend? If he ever called her bluff, what would she do? Did she even expect anything from him, or was she just bored? He heard the shower turn on and he started, remembering how Kagome always bathed when she was unhappy. It comforted her, but recently he had taken on that job of soothing her unease for himself.

He ran to her bathroom and turned the knob, surprised she left it open even if she did frequently forget since they never locked doors when they were alone. Entering the steamy room, he yanked open the mirrored shower door. She turned to him, unsurprised, and he could tell she was crying even though the stream of water was pouring on her face. Without a thought, he climbed in with her, still fully clothed, and put his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. Kagome sobbed against him, finally letting it out, and he stroked her back, putting all his feeling into every touch.

Inuyasha hadn't been planning to ravish her, but she changed those plans when she grabbed his face, kissing him roughly, and placed his hand on her breast. He squeezed and caressed and she frantically unzipped his pants, still sniffling, pulling down the wet fabric until it was at his feet. They locked eyes and he saw her pain, its intensity driving him to love her more tenderly than he ever had before. She kissed him slowly, and he ran his hands over her body, reveling in the different satin slick feel of her.

Kagome broke away and stared at his chest, which was defined by the shirt sticking to his skin. Placing her hands under it but not taking it off, she stroked his abdomen and looked him in the eye, begging for what they both wanted. He grunted and grabbed her hips before sheathing his cock inside her. Her hands had dragged his shirt up and she was rubbing his nipples, stroking his collarbone. Moaning, he leaned forward and sucked on her neck, his now wet hair flattening against his eyes and impairing his vision. Desperately trying to keep his balance, he was strengthened by the feel of her hands gripping him and only him, not the shower door or anything, trusting him completely. When she cried out and arched into him, he followed, only just managing to not fall to his knees. Silently, he rinsed her off, still holding her. When he was done, Inuyasha turned off the water and stumbled out of the shower, setting Kagome down on the sink counter. He grabbed the towel she had set out and gently dried her off.

"Inuyasha?" she asked timidly. He looked at her in question and wrapped the fluffy pink towel around her. "Are… Are you my boyfriend?" she whispered.

"No," he said, shaking his head, cursing his bluntness when he saw the hurt look in her eyes return tenfold. "We're more than that. So much more," he said, raising a hand up to her face and running his thumb along her cheekbone.

"Then what are we?"

He exhaled loudly. "I… I don't know. I know I love you and only you. There will never be anyone else for me," he explained, taking out another towel to dry her hair. "You're different from _her_. I could never get over you." Kagome stared at him and said nothing, so he continued, grabbing her shoulders and looking her in the eye. "When all this is over and done with, Kagome, I'm going to marry you."

She laughed and it sounded sad. "When all w_hat_ is over, Inuyasha? I could never hurt Mother like that. You said it yourself at Christmas, remember?"

He shook her slightly. "Don't worry about it. We're going to be together for real, officially, I promise."

Shaking her head, she said, "I don't know what I was thinking," she whispered. "I should never have… I shouldn't have."

Inuyasha began to panic. He could not lose her, no matter what. "Just wait, Kagome. I swear. Just a few more months."

He kissed her forcefully and she began to respond. "Alright. I don't know what else I can do," she murmured against his lips. It was good enough for him. He could live in any world where Kagome was by his side.

"Inuyasha?" she whispered after a while.

"Yeah?"

"Do you promise you don't have any feelings for Mother?"

Inuyasha groaned internally. In truth, he had expected this question long before, but Kagome had been much too timid and unsure to ask. "Kagome, I will always feel something for Kikyo. But I love _you_."

She looked away, and then back again, her eyes hard. "It's okay if you love her too, Inuyasha, just as long as you love me more."

"I do," he assured her gently, kissing her cheek. "I do."

"Good."


	16. Love in the Aftermath

***Song for the chapter: Holy Roller by Thao & The Get Down Stay Down***

A few days later, Kikyo came back unannounced. Kagome was more than happy to see her return, her previous anger and hurt forgotten, but Inuyasha was still fuming. Fortunately, she did not address him, but instead smiled down distantly at her daughter, no teeth showing.

"Kagome, how would you like to come down to the closest Shikon factory with me this weekend?"

The girl's eyes shone and she glanced at Inuyasha, silently asking him if this was actually happening. He nodded at her, happy that she was happy, and she clapped her hands together, making Kikyo flinch at the sudden noise.

"I would love to, Mother! Should I go pack now?" Without waiting for an answer, she started humming and turned to run up the stairs.

"Wait!" Kikyo said, slightly annoyed but mostly amused at her eagerness, as if her daughter, so starved for her attention, were a small dog chasing its own tail as it urinated on the carpet. "Pack some nice things. I'm going to introduce you to a few executives, give you a tour of the factory, acquaint you with its processes, and then we'll have you attempt to channel your spiritual energy into some new products."

Kagome paled. "I-I've never had any training, Mother. I don't know how to do that."

"It's easy. You're a Higurashi, after all."

She started fidgeting and tugging on the bottom of her blouse, those signs letting Inuyasha know she was incredibly nervous, and that meant he had to be with her.

"I'll come along, too," he announced. Kagome beamed at him gratefully and he smiled at her.

"Absolutely not, Inuyasha," Kikyo said. "I can't have you distracting her. Plus, this is a factory full of spiritual energy, _my_ spiritual energy. You know how strong I am."

Inuyasha began to feel sick. He had been around Kikyo once when she had been imbuing products with her powers and the purity was so strong he had vomited blood on the spot. He turned to tell Kagome he wouldn't go, but her big gray eyes were pleading with him in such a precious way that he could not refuse.

"I'm going to go no matter what, since I technically own it until Kagome turns twenty-one," he said, for the first time reminding Kikyo of their deal.

She scowled at him and Kagome smiled. The suffering would be worth it.

"Very well, Inuyasha. But don't complain when you have to be taken away in an ambulance," Kikyo said coldly. "You better pack now, Kagome. I intend to leave early tomorrow morning."

She glided past them and up the stairs to her room, reminding him eerily of the queen from Disney's Snow White.

Kagome turned to him and asked, "What was she talking about? An ambulance?"

"Nothing, she's just being a bitch," he said softly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, ignoring her flinch at the bad word. "And nothing's going to keep me from being with you."

She placed her hand on his where it rested on her cheek, one of the few times she had shown him any affection when Kikyo was in the house, and he shivered, slight though the touch was. "Thank you, Inuyasha."

**O/\o/\O**

The building was as hard and gray as Kikyo's eyes, the polluting smoke making the sky look roughly the same. Inuyasha felt the spiritual power like a punch to the gut, but he followed the women in anyway, steeling himself for Kagome's sake. They were met by a bunch of men in suits, and he shook hands with all of them, ignoring their surprised stares. He was probably the only one of demonic heritage to even come near the place.

"Is this the Little Miss?" asked a particularly condescending man in a Stetson. Of course, he had a Texas accent, which Inuyasha thought he purposely exaggerated.

Kagome beamed at him and Kikyo nodded. "Yes, this is my daughter and future heir to the Shikon throne, Kagome. Kagome, this is our Vice President, Mr. Walker."

"And who is this, er, fella?" asked the same man, discreetly tipping his hat in Inuyasha's direction. Apparently, he was the spokesman for the entire group.

"This is my husband, Inuyasha Taisho."

Everybody nodded and glanced at each other in response to his name. Since they traveled in the same circles, they had all at least heard of him. He rolled his eyes openly; they should have known who he was the minute they laid eyes on him. Not many half-demons of his looks were married to Kikyo Higurashi. And hadn't some of them been at the wedding?

"Nice to be formally introduced to y'all," boomed Walker. "Our guide should be arriving any minute, and he can educate the Little Miss on the goings-on of Shikon's first and most productive factory."

The guide arrived as if on cue, a scrawny, malnourished man with a mustache that made Inuyasha want to yank Kagome away from him and call the police. He droned on and on in a nasally voice and Inuyasha tuned him out the entire time, instead keeping his eyes on Kagome, who had produced a notepad and pen from out of nowhere and was frantically jotting down the information in her cramped yet large handwriting. The pure energy of the place was getting to him and he began to sweat and take big gulps of air, struggling not to faint. What felt like hours later, the guide departed and he breathed a sigh of relief, only to be shown to a small room with the rest of the group. The walls were plain concrete, like the rest of the factory, and in the center was a simple round wooden table with a glucometer placed on top.

Kikyo held out her arm grandly towards the table, her perfectly manicured nails like arrowheads. "Concentrate on the light inside your soul and let it flow out your hands and into the product, Kagome."

The girl glanced around at everyone in the room nervously, and Inuyasha smiled weakly at her, feeling half his strength restored when she smiled back. Setting her notebook and pen aside, Kagome closed her eyes and placed both hands hovering over the glucometer. Her brow furrowed more and more as the seconds ticked by and nothing happened.

"Um, perhaps it would be better if you came back another weekend with your daughter. She seems to be underprepared," said a nameless executive who reminded Inuyasha of a bald weasel. He glared at the man and was satisfied to see him begin to visibly sweat.

Kikyo nodded, staring at Kagome who was now shaking with effort and humiliation. "Perhaps you are right. I had hoped she would be able to do this instinctively, but I see now I expected too much. Come away from there, Kagome, we've wasted our time."

Kagome's shoulders slumped, defeated, and already some of the group was leaving the room. Conquering his pounding head and slightly fuzzy vision, Inuyasha stumbled over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, coming as close to her as he dared in public.

"I think you can do it," he said softly, his thumb caressing her bare shoulder, taking a second to admire her figure in the sundress she wore. "You're my angel, and angels can do anything they set their minds to," he whispered, even quieter, confident the others would not hear him over their loud chatter.

She looked up at him, her lips parted, and the emotion in her eyes made him want to take her in his arms and kiss her senseless. Suddenly, there was a bright pink light and he was flung backwards, hitting the opposite wall. Everything was chaos: the Texas guy was slapping his hat on his knee like some cartoon character, the other executives were looking at each other in awe and openly calculating figures together, Kikyo was standing stock still with a hand pressed to her lips and Kagome was crying loudly over bits of the exploded glucometer.

"Oh my god, I murdered Inuyasha!" she wailed, clumsily running towards him. She laid her head on his chest and sobbed, her arms encircling his torso and pressing him to her tightly. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew Kagome had no reason to cry like that.

"I-I'm not d-dead," he coughed out, bringing up a hand to stroke her hair. Her head shot up and she launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck and nearly strangling him. He chuckled and hugged her close, kissing the side of her head before he remembered there were others around and he couldn't get too caught up in the moment.

"What the fuck happened?" he barked at the nameless lesser executives, Kagome's tears sending him into an instant rage.

"That, my dear, was the most impressive display I have ever seen," Walker nearly shouted. "Your power, although obviously untrained, is greater than even your mother's, and she is the most powerful priestess I have ever heard of."

Kikyo stormed out, eyes blank and jaw set. No one commented on her exit and for once Kagome seemed not to notice, too intent on Inuyasha. She was practically in his lap now and he wanted to leave as soon as possible in order to not tip anyone off as well as to get her out of her dress.

"Are you really okay, Inuyasha?" she asked worriedly, touching the side of his face with the tips of her fingers.

He made an assessment of his body, placing Kagome more to the side so he could have a proper look at himself. There was no visible damage and even the sickness he had been feeling before was completely gone. But how? Had he not just been blasted by her? He should be dead, at the very least badly burned and at the point of death. He grasped her hand and took in the swollen redness around her eyes, which only served to emphasize the color of her orbs and make them appear that much more beautiful. It must have been the strength of her love that kept him unharmed. Inuyasha sat up, pulling Kagome with him.

"If you'll excuse us, we must be going. I think we've had enough of this place," he said, speaking civilly to Kikyo's yes men for the first time. He and Kagome walked out together, the applause of what would in a few years be Kagome's employees following them almost until they left the building. They walked to their car without speaking, knowing they would say everything they wanted to say the minute they could be alone again and both willing to wait.

Kikyo was in the passenger seat and Inuyasha almost voiced his displeasure. She had insisted on being the one to drive them there and Kagome had sat up with her, leaving him alone in the backseat and feeling emasculated and lonely for Kagome. Now he had to drive them to the hotel and Kikyo would be sitting next to him, and judging by the icy look on her face it would not be a pleasant trip. He sighed in frustration and glanced at the girl next to him, who looked around before blowing him a small kiss and climbing in the vehicle. Smiling, he entered and started up the engine, racing out of the parking lot and toward the small hotel Kikyo had pointed out to them on the way there.

The trip was silent, with his wife stewing over something with a fearsome look on her face and his love looking out the window but not seeing anything, probably thinking about what had just transpired in the plain little factory room. Inuyasha was too afraid to turn on the radio, even though he craved some sort of distraction from the recent developments that were sure to change his life in ways he may not appreciate.

Kikyo nearly jumped out of the car the minute he pulled into the hotel lot, leaving him and Kagome alone to park it. Before he could make a move to kiss her or touch her or say something, she also left, absent-mindedly following her mother into the small but classy establishment they would spend the night in. Slamming his hands against the steering wheel, he took a deep breath and got out of the car, grabbing all their overnight bags in one hand and setting off after the two women.

When he got inside, Kikyo and Kagome were already at the front desk. They turned to him immediately as he entered, as though sensing his presence, and he gave them both a questioning smile, wondering where he could toss the bags for the night.

"Come over, Inuyasha. I've got the keys and we can head up to our rooms. Kagome has done enough damage at the factory for now, so instead of staying all weekend, we will just spend the night here and go home in the morning," she said, handing a key card to her daughter and keeping the other.

"Um, where's mine?" he asked, looking pointedly at the key card in her hand.

"We are to share a room. It is only natural, and there are no more rooms available."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, but glancing at the clerk who was nodding along with what Kikyo was saying made him grunt in frustration.

"Then you bunk with Kagome and I'll take a room to myself," he said.

"Absolutely not," Kikyo said with a sniff. "Kagome snores terribly loud and I would never get to sleep."

Inuyasha barked out a laugh. "That's not even true! She's a nearly fucking silent sleeper," he growled out, his eyes locking with Kagome's and widening with hers, realizing he had slipped up.

Kikyo glared at him. "How would you know anything about that?" she hissed.

"I—uh," he sputtered, beginning to panic. "Ears! Demonic hearing. I hear pretty much everything that goes on in that house," he said desperately.

His wife nodded and her shoulders relaxed, making both him and Kagome relax as well. They hadn't been caught, but if he wasn't more careful then it was only a matter of time. Kagome stepped to his side and gently grabbed her bag from his hand.

"It's nice of you to worry about me, Inuyasha," she said sweetly, "but I'm okay with sleeping alone. I'm a big girl."

He nodded in resignation and followed them up the staircase to the second floor where both their rooms were. Kagome's was across the hall from his and Kikyo's and she slipped through the door without another glance at them. He threw the bags to the side and they landed on the floor instead of the chair he had been aiming for. Collapsing on the chair, he immediately began to drift off to sleep, not really caring where he was or what time it was after the stressful day.

"You're welcome to share the bed with me, Inuyasha," Kikyo said softly, enticingly. That tone used to be all it took to get him hard, but now he just felt nervous and slightly skittish.

"No thanks, I'm good here," he said shortly.

"Are you sure?" she practically purred, making him open his eyes. Kikyo, still beautiful although now twice the age he appeared, was slowly unbuttoning her blue blouse. Her bra was of black, nearly transparent lace, and he could see the mood she was in by the stiffness of her brown nipples. The small, purplish lump was grotesque in itself, but somehow did not detract much from the perfection of her breasts. He wondered how she had managed to preserve the shape of them after giving birth. That in itself was a miracle.

Shutting his eyes, he squeaked, "You know what? I'm just going to sleep in the car. I'll be fine in the car."

Still with his eyes closed, he felt for his bag, ignoring her humph in response to his rejection, and went to the door, shutting it behind him. He waited, five minutes and then ten, slowing down his breathing. When he heard the light switch flick off and the bedsprings creak, he tiptoed over to the door across from theirs and knocked as quietly as he could. The door swung back soon after and there stood Kagome, bleary-eyed and surprised to see him.

Craning her neck to check behind him, she whispered, "What are you doing?! What about—"

Inuyasha silenced her with a desperate kiss and pushed her back into the room using his body and kicked the door shut behind him. Soon she was clinging to his shirt in the darkness, clawing at it to get it off of him. Yanking her nightgown over her head, he threw it to the side, quickly divesting himself of his own clothes immediately afterward. Remembering she could not see him well in the dark room, he smiled and licked his way from her feet to her knees, nibbling every so often. He went back down and kissed every one of her toes, making her giggle and urge him to move on. Stroking her sides, he brought his face up to hers and just stayed there, staring at her mostly unseeing eyes. He knew she could see his own eyes, as they literally glowed in the dark, but not much else. No one else would see her like this, and he let out a small laugh in exaltation, quickly covering it up by kissing her lips and turning it into a moan. He could not get enough of her taste, no matter how many times his tongue danced with hers.

Turning her face to the side, Kagome gasped out, "Can we? Right now? Mother is just—"

"Kagome," he said seriously, trying to sound stern, "when I am with you, I forget about everyone and everything else. Just this once, can you do that for me? Please?" His voice cracked at the end and betrayed his own turbulent emotions.

"I love you, Inuyasha," she whispered after a pause. "I love you and only you."

Murmuring again and again how much he loved her, he plunged into her, kissing the place where her neck and shoulder met, reveling in her softness and scent. Someday, he would bite down on this very spot and they would be together forever, the way it was supposed to be. Her climax was gentle, as was his, something that they were not able to experience very often due to the secrecy of their relationship, the fact that they could be discovered and separated at any time.

As he cradled her on his chest after the act, she reached out to turn on the light, allowing her to see him properly for the first time since he had closed the door.

"Are you sure I didn't hurt you today?"

He laughed and kissed her temple. "Forget about it, you could never hurt me."

"But that's strange, isn't it? With a blast that powerful, you should not have survived. What happened?"

He shrugged, then told her his thoughts from earlier. "Maybe it was our love, yours and mine. It was strong enough to save me from death."

Kagome's eyes misted slightly and she said, "You're a closet romantic, huh?" He nodded and kissed her lips. After a pause, she said, "Mother never told me she loved me. You were the first person to ever say that to me."

Inuyasha was saddened and angry but not at all surprised by this point. He had seen them interact and their relationship left a lot to be desired. He probably would have fought against his attraction to Kagome if Kikyo had been at all caring towards her daughter.

"When I think of how she's treated you, I just… Ugh, I don't know," he said miserably.

"I know," she said, kissing the tip of his nose.

"I've been thinking. I should give you a tour of Tetsusaiga someday soon."

"Why?" she asked, surprised and confused.

"Well, technically, you are my heir. For now, anyway. The company will eventually go to one of our children once I'm ready to retire, but that won't be for a long while yet."

Her lips parted in a gasp that never came and she said, "You…want to have kids? With me?"

Chuckling, he drew her closer. "Well, I said I was going to marry you. That's kind of implied."

"Oh, Inuyasha, I love you so much," she said, kissing his chest. He thought it would end there, but when her tongue found his nipple he knew he was going to be in for a pleasantly long night.

**O/\o/\O**

Kagome was so tired in the morning that it made Inuyasha beam with pride. She even let him dress her, something he did carefully and lovingly, treating her like a porcelain doll. If he had been watching someone do this instead of being the one to do it, he would have laughed at his careful maneuverings of her half-asleep body and gentle caresses and fumblings. It was almost as though he were a servant. It would have disgusted him if he had been treating anyone but Kagome this way, but this was her and she was all his. He could do anything with her and it would be alright.

He kissed her until she was awake, laughing as she tried to talk into his mouth without quite realizing what was going on. Grabbing her hands, he pulled her to her feet, Kagome complaining sleepily all the while, her voice thick. He wanted to stay in bed as badly as she did, but he had made the mistake of sleeping in her room overnight and now they had to sneak down and wait in the lobby for Kikyo in order to not look suspicious. Finally, Kagome woke up a bit more and grabbed her bag herself, opening the door while asking Inuyasha to stop for coffee. He was about to tease her for developing a caffeine addiction, but then, at the same time, they both saw Kikyo, hand poised ready to knock at Kagome's door.

"Inuyasha? Why are you in Kagome's room?" asked his wife, glancing between the two of them.

"I was up getting a soda from the vending machine earlier when I ran into Inuyasha. He looked bored and said he didn't want to wake you, so I invited him to come to my room and watch TV," Kagome said.

Inuyasha nearly sighed in relief. He didn't know whether or not the fact she was a much better liar than himself was good or not, but he knew from the look on Kikyo's face that she had just saved both their asses for another day.

"Alright, then. If it's not too much trouble, please drive us again, Inuyasha. My legs are sore from all that walking about in the factory yesterday."

Kikyo turned and left, obviously expecting them to follow. Kagome glanced slyly at Inuyasha and kissed his cheek, skipping off after her mother. He hurried after her, the grin he sported tipping off every male he passed to what he had been doing last night.


	17. Can't Hide

***Song for the chapter: Undenied by Portishead***

Valentine's Day was quickly approaching and Inuyasha was panicking, thinking up romantic plans and wondering what to give Kagome. She acted like she didn't even know the holiday was coming up, but, after intense hours of studying her every move and facial expression until she screamed at him to leave her alone and stop being creepy, he could tell she would like something although she was not expecting anything. Racking his brain, he finally came up with something that was the best he could do without any outside help, and quickly set to work on it.

The first step would be getting rid of Kikyo.

"Kikyo!" Inuyasha called cheerfully, bounding down the stairs on the special day. She hadn't even left to go to work since they toured the factory and he was tired of being ignored by Kagome. Tired enough to resort to dirty tricks.

"Yes?" she said pleasantly, putting down her cup of tea. Her gray eyes were questioning and soft. Soft for something that looked so much like gunmetal, anyway.

"I feel bad that I've been taking up so much of your time lately," he said gently, trying to put a husbandly look into his eyes and feel in his voice. "So for Valentine's Day, I got you and Suikotsu a trip to Paris for an entire week!" He beamed at her as though it were the greatest thing ever. Truth be told, he had wanted to send them away for the rest of the month, but knowing her, she'd just put up a fight, so a week it was. He'd like to get rid of her forever, but her body was already doing that for him. A bit too slow for his liking, but there would be no need to dirty his hands with her blood. A muscle in his jaw jumped in guilt and he realized what he had been thinking.

Kikyo had a surprised look on her face, and it was not a pleasant one. "Oh. Thank you, Inuyasha, but I'm afraid—"

"Suikotsu's on his way over and I already packed your bags," he said, feeling like a game show host. "Don't worry, just go and have a good time."

Before she could protest any more, Inuyasha took her hands and led her to the door, where he had placed her suitcases just that morning, hiding them under a sheet, although he knew that would just bring attention to it. Luckily for him, Kikyo had not ventured in that direction. The doorbell rang, followed by a knock that somehow even sounded friendly, and he opened the door to see Suikotsu, who was beaming past him at Kikyo. Shoving her bags in the other man's arms, he stepped to the side and watched his somewhat dazed wife walk out the door without even a goodbye. Exhaling loudly, he leaned against the shut door and called Sango, dismissing her a few hours ahead of time, hanging up on her negative grumble of a reply.

Now for part two. He smiled and nearly began to hum as he ran to the car.

When he arrived at Kagome's school, he headed straight for the courts outside the gym. He knew her schedule, and the period right before lunch was PE. She had told him excitedly as he drove her to school that morning that her class would be playing volleyball, something she had always wanted to try but hadn't been able to due to her archery commitments. Parking close to the building that seemed much too large for just a high school gym, he jogged around to the back until he came to the chain-link fence that kept her from him.

Kagome was standing with her back to him, in an outfit he thought was much too revealing. Whoever was in charge of the girls' uniforms was most definitely a pervert. Those "shorts" were what regular women's underwear were just ten years ago! Looking around, he noticed the boys were doing what boys do, just standing around and checking out the girls, and the girl most of them had their eyes on was Kagome. He gripped the fence, barely stopping himself from twisting the entire structure into some sort of stupid modern sculpture type thing for idiots to gawk at and pay the national budget to own. The girls were standing together and whispering, glancing back at the boys while acting nonchalant. All but Kagome, who was actually trying to play the game. It brought a smile to his face, and he wolf whistled, his eyes zeroing in on her half-exposed ass and watching it bounce with each movement she made. She turned around immediately, missing the ball which would have been a sure hit for her, and broke out in a grin when she saw him. She ran over to him, the eyes of all the boys and some of the girls following her movements as though she were doing the slow motion run from Baywatch.

"Inuyasha! What brings you here?" Her eyes were glowing with her excitement and hopeful anticipation. It _was_ the day for lovers, after all.

"I pulled you out early," he said cheerily, her mood affecting his. He had called the school the week before and scheduled to pull her out for a "dentist's appointment". She seemed conflicted, glancing back at the volleyball game with a wistful expression on her face, but looked back at him with love in her eyes, her choice clear. He almost kissed her through the fence but settled for reaching a finger through a link and stroking the back of her hand which gripped the barrier. "Grab your bag and let's get going."

She nodded and scampered off to the side of the court, grabbing her yellow bag and running into the building and out again, right to his side. Taking her hand in full view of her classmates, he led her to the parked car, feeling somewhat relieved when she only blushed and did not protest. He could barely contain his excitement when once they were in the vehicle she noticed the amount of red roses littering the back. He had made sure to get real heirloom roses, not the kind they sold in every florist shop that smelled like grass. Inuyasha was beginning to regret it now that the scent was nearly overpowering, but the look on Kagome's face was worth everything.

"What's all this?" she asked, as though some part of her thought this couldn't be all for her, just like the pile of presents at Christmas.

He laughed and began heading to their destination. "One rose for every day we've known each other," he whispered, suddenly feeling solemn in the moment. "One hundred and twenty-nine."

Inuyasha risked looking at her, and tears were pooling in Kagome's eyes. Suddenly, she laughed and jumped in the back, sweeping most of the roses off the seat with one hand.

"You're so cheesy, Inuyasha."

He snorted. "What'd you go back there for?"

"Pull over and find out," she said slyly, her voice soft and smooth, almost like she was introducing the next jazz song she'd be singing.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, he saw Kagome taking off her tiny shorts along with her underwear, leaving her somewhat baggy sweatshirt on. Inuyasha swerved off the freeway into a glade of trees by the shoulder, barely missing the trunk of one, glad they had the option of this privacy. He had wanted today to be more about their relationship and romance, worried they were losing some of the emotional intimacy to the physical, but if she wanted to fuck then who was he to stop her?

He tried to jump into the backseat but was prevented by the seatbelt he was wearing. Cursing at the sound of Kagome's giggles, he clawed at the thing until it somehow unbuckled, leaving him free to lunge at her. Remembering the occasion, he kissed her lips tenderly, sweetly, before giving in to her insistent tongue and turning passionate, nipping at her lips until he tasted a faint trace of her incomparable blood. Deciding that was enough, he moved down to her neck, his hands caressing her ribs through the shirt. She giggled and squirmed, that area being one of her most ticklish spots. Somehow, she maneuvered the two of them so that he was sitting upright and she was in his lap straddling him. Pushing his back to the seat, she slowly brought her face to his, never breaking eye contact. Her tongue briefly flitted out to trace her lips and then she was kissing him, slow and intense, all while unbuttoning his shirt. Once that was done, she ran her hands up and down his chest and abdomen, smiling when she felt him shudder. Lowering her head, she kissed his nipples, a part of him she had recently become fascinated with. Kagome had not known male nipples were also sensitive, and she was obsessed with touching him there like he touched her. Inuyasha himself hadn't realized how strongly he'd react when stimulated in that fashion. Other women had tried what she was doing before and he hadn't been all that into it, but he guessed it was the fact that it was Kagome plucking at his chest that drove him so wild. He began to buck his hips into her, trying to signal that he had had enough foreplay and was ready to roll. Understanding, as she always did, she placed one last kiss on his solar plexus and removed her top, allowing him to undo her bra, throw it to the side, and tease her breasts. She unzipped his pants, her small hand fondling and stroking, then gripping as she lowered herself onto him. It was slow, agonizingly slow, but so, so sweet. Times like this were too rare. They were always rushing to fulfillment, afraid that this would be their last time. He kept eye contact as she rode him, occasionally placing kisses on her lips, cheeks, throat. She did the same to him. His orgasm triggered hers, and she threw her arms around his neck, collapsing against him, out of breath.

"I love you so much," she panted against his neck.

"I lo—"

There was a bright flash through the windshield. Startled and angry, he shoved Kagome to the side and snarled as he punched through the glass and dragged the man with the camera inside. Kagome was screaming and attempting to cover her naked body with their discarded clothes. Hearing her reminded him of what happened the last time he had killed in front of her, and he hesitated, looking the man over. He was a scrawny thing, someone who had never really grown up all the way. His hair was thinning and he wore plaid cargo shorts with a dirty white shirt, both probably from Wal-Mart or some equally disgustingly cheap store. The scraggly beard he possessed did nothing to enhance his appearance. His rage slightly diminished by the study of the pathetic creature in front of him, Inuyasha shook the man violently enough to nearly snap his neck.

"Who the fuck are you?!" he growled. "Paparazzi?"

"N-no!" the man stuttered, cowering with eyes closed.

"A PI, then?" Had Kikyo hired someone to follow him?

The man shook his head from side to side so fast one of his tears flew off his face and hit Inuyasha's, making him wince in slight disgust.

"Then what. The fuck. Are you," he said quietly, past the point of impatience.

"Just a guy with a camera, man."

"A random pervert?" he questioned, glancing at Kagome, who was covering herself with her sweatshirt, obviously already having given up on finding her shorts. She was curled as far away as she could get and staring at the two of them with wide eyes.

"Uh, not exactly—"

Inuyasha again shook him by the collar. "Then _what_?!"

When the man didn't respond, Inuyasha allowed his claws to curl into his neck, just the littlest bit, enough to scare him. It worked, and soon the creep was talking.

"Some guy came to me last night and told me to follow that girl and take pictures of her. He gave me three fuckin' thou, man. I guess I accidentally left the flash on this time."

"Describe him."

"I c-can't even fucking remember, I don't know why, I remembered right up until you asked me, just please please please don't hurt me, I didn't know—"

Taking a deep breath through his nose, Inuyasha attempted to calm himself down and slowly tried again. "Did he say why?"

"Nuh-uh, he didn't tell me why or his name or anything. He just said he'd be seeing me soon."

Inuyasha yanked the camera off from where it hung around the man's neck, smashing it against the window closest to him until it was in pieces and the glass was cracked. Bringing his now free hand back to the man who still looked as though he were about to shit his pants, he roughly patted him down, checking for other items. When he found nothing, he flung the man from him like trash, right back out the broken windshield. He watched the disgusting human run away into the sparse wilderness, limping and bleeding from where shards of glass had pierced his flesh.

Sighing, he turned back to Kagome. Wordlessly, he held out his arms to her, and she crashed into them, sobbing and shaking against his chest. After she cried herself out and he thought he must have permanently matted her hair to her skull from how many times he stroked it, she pulled away from him and he began to dress her, hooking her bra on and tugging the sweatshirt over her head, finding her shorts from where he had been unknowingly sitting on them and gently pulling them up her long legs. When she was looking as presentable as he could make her, he buttoned up his own shirt and fixed his pants, becoming embarrassed when he realized he had terrified and interrogated a man with his cock hanging out and rose petals sticking to his naked skin.

"This car is ruined now," he muttered, trying to fill the silence. "I'm gonna call Myoga to send us another one and clean this mess up."

They climbed out of the car and back to the side of the road, Kagome rubbing her thighs in the chilly air while Inuyasha barked orders at Myoga. When that was done, he opened the trunk, taking out the picnic basket he had packed with all of Kagome's favorites, buying what he couldn't make and making what he could since he knew she would appreciate it. He wanted to get the roses, but decided against it. They had fucked on them and they were probably all sorts of nasty now, having done their job. He was glad he had paid the extra money to get the thorns removed or else their rendezvous would have been far more painful. Going over to where his lady love was, Inuyasha set the basket down and sat next to her on the somewhat damp grass, trailing his fingers up and down her leg.

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said in that sweet, soft voice she always had after she'd been doing a lot of thinking. "I'm sorry the day was ruined. What else were you planning?"

He put his arm around her shoulders, laying his head on hers when she leaned into him. "I know it's not very romantic, but I was gonna take you to my mother's grave and introduce you. She would have loved you."

Again, he smelled her tears, and she turned to him, the stubbornness of her chin showing him she was determined not to let them fall. Saying nothing and everything, she put both arms around him and kissed him softly, communicating her love with the touches of her lips. Inuyasha wondered if her stalker was still around, hoping for Kagome's sake that he wasn't. The man would die, just not today. Today was about Kagome and him, him and Kagome. Everything else could and would wait; all problems would be set aside and solved another day. All too soon, a horn honked and they jumped apart, blushing and lumbering into the town car that awaited them.


	18. Heart Heart Head

***Song for the chapter: Heart Heart Head by Meg Myers***

**Note: I admit it, this entire fanfic was a conspiracy to get people to listen to Meg Myers. Please review and vote in the poll! =]**

They ate the now cold and soggy picnic in Inuyasha's bed. The meal was awkward, with both of them pretending the ordeal with the camera guy and the car hadn't happened. Neither of them wanted to discuss it, naturally being people who avoided problems until they absolutely had to be dealt with. Instead, they traded distracted kisses and half-heartedly tried to feed each other, losing interest in games about half-way through the basket. The evening was ruined, and no amount of forced playfulness was going to bring the mood back. Finally, Inuyasha decided to call it a night, ignoring Kagome's weak protests.

"One last thing," he said, hoping this at least could bring the spark back to her eyes. "Your gift. Here," he said gruffly, suddenly shy. Pulling a long gold chain from under his pillow, he handed her the necklace. Her curiosity showed on her face and made him smirk. She took it from him, her fingers carefully opening the locket that swung from the delicate chain. Inside was a small oil painting of him and one of her. It had taken a lot of money and threats, but he managed to get it done by the best painter he knew of in only six days. He had heard the poor man had developed a cocaine habit due to his demands. Oh well, that wasn't important. He smiled softly at how tenderly she handled it.

"I have one, too," he said quietly, pulling his out from under his shirt. His chain was silver and it sparkled in the dull light. "Yours is the color of my eyes and mine is the color of yours."

"It's my second favorite piece of jewelry in the world," she said softly, stroking the ring she wore. Biting her lip and smiling, she jumped up from the bed. "I got something for you, too. Well, I made something," she said sheepishly. "It's in my room, let me go and fetch it."

Inuyasha lay back on the bed and relaxed, watching Kagome's shapely retreating figure. He had not been expecting anything from her, but anything she gave was wonderful, especially if made by her own hands. Sure, he teased her about tons of things regarding her abilities, but he did love to know she cared for him. Something made by hand was infinitely more precious than something bought. If he could, he would made the locket on his own, but it would have been much less impressive. Badly drawn crayon figures weren't something women enjoyed receiving from grown men. A scream interrupted his train of thought and wiped the dreamy smile off his face. Kagome was hurt. He ran faster than he thought possible, skidding to a stop in front of her room. The sight that met his eyes was something he'd never forget.

Hearts, actual, real hearts were scattered across her room. There must have been dozens. Blood was splattered across the walls, her furniture, the floor. He sniffed and nearly gagged. They were _dog_ hearts. He recognized them by the smell and size. The words "bitch", "whore", and "slut" were scrawled across her wall in fairly neat writing, something he was vaguely surprised by. In horror movies, it was always smeared and dripping, sloppy and careless. Taking a step into the room to comfort the terrified girl, his bare foot encountered something smooth, and he glanced down and picked it up. It was a photo of him and Kagome. They were in his bed and he was over her, staring into her eyes with an intensity he could feel just looking at the picture. They were naked and his form was slightly blurred; he must have been thrusting hard and fast, close to completion. Judging by the angle, it was taken from inside the house, probably from the very doorway of his room. How? He would have sensed it.

But there were more. Momentarily putting off soothing Kagome, he picked them up. It was easy since they nearly carpeted the floor. Tons of different pictures, all of them extremely incriminating. Him and Kagome on the dining room table, him and Kagome in the car in her school's parking lot, him and Kagome on the stairs, that time under the Goshinboku, at a restaurant, on the porch.

"I can't do this," came Kagome's strained voice. Inuyasha looked over at her. She was on her knees and clutching several photographs in her shaking hands. "I c-can't _do_ this."

The tears started, and with them came big, hiccoughing breaths. He began to worry she was going to have a panic attack. He moved to her side. "Calm down, Kagome, shhh, calm down," he said as gently as he possibly could, feeling like a kindergarten teacher. "Everything will be okay. I'll find who did this and they'll never bother us again."

Her sobs gathered volume. "But I'll still be a bad person. Mother will never love me now," she said loudly, the words distorted by her emotion.

Inuyasha immediately felt a deep guilt. "It'll be okay. I'll pick up all the pictures and call a clean-up crew and get people started on finding this psycho."

"Call the police," she yelled, clutching the photos in her hands so tightly that they crumpled.

"No, Kagome. I'm going to do this my own way," he said, firm but still gentle. Police would just complicate things, and if they actually managed to somehow stumble onto who did it, then it would be impossible to deal with the perpetrator in the way they deserved. In addition to that, cops would ask too many questions, probably get Kikyo involved, and generally ruin any time he had to spend with Kagome.

She glared up at him. "Call the police!"

"_No_. I've been alive a long time. I can do better than a bunch of idiot humans with a violent streak that didn't make it past high school."

"_I'm_ going to call them, then."

"No."

Kagome rose to her feet and they glared at each other, the tenseness of the moment nearly tangible. She made a sudden movement to try to get past him and he grabbed her, pulling her into his arms and embracing her, trapping her limbs with his own. Muffling her screams by holding her face to his chest, he lifted her up and hurried back to his room, leaving her in it and barricading the door with a table he kept in the hallway. He was determined not to look at her and succeeded, afraid the betrayal in her eyes would sway him and complicate matters unnecessarily.

He pulled out his cell phone, wincing each time he heard Kagome hit or kick the door, screaming for him to let her out. There was an edge of panic and desperation to her tone and he tried to tune her out as he informed Myoga of the situation and gave directions on a few things, leaving the rest up to him. He nearly gagged thinking about the ball the flea demon would have in the blood saturated room.

Hurrying to her room as soon as he ended the call, Inuyasha quickly snapped up every picture that littered the place, breathing through his mouth so as not to be overwhelmed by the stench, although that just made him taste it faintly. The pictures were on absolutely every surface, some of them sprinkled with blood drops, whether intentionally done or not he didn't know. Thinking quickly, knowing Myoga always managed to arrive sooner than expected, he ran downstairs and shoved all the privacy violating photos into his briefcase, determined to deal with them later.

The bell rang just as he was closing the case and he sighed in relief and annoyance. He opened the door to about half a dozen men and his assistant.

Ignoring their questioning looks, he said, "There was a suspicious man we caught taking photos of us earlier today, go and find him."

He gave them the photographer's description and the location where they had encountered him and immediately two of the men left to go and search.

The portly flea demon raised a brow and his moustache twitched. "You caught a 'suspicious' man taking pictures of you and your step-daughter and you just let him go?" he asked, barely suppressing his anger.

"He was just a human," Inuyasha scoffed.

"'Just' a human?!" Myoga roared, surprising them all. "Humans are capable of 'just' anything! How could you let him get away? You had him in your grasp. You've only made things more complicated for everyone, including yourself."

Inuyasha glared at him, for once seriously and not playfully. His employee got the picture and sighed, his head drooping wearily. Myoga led the other men upstairs, leaving Inuyasha to sit down and have a drink, something small but just enough to steady his nerves. He could still hear Kagome sobbing and knocking things over in his room. Myoga knew well enough not to pry and that was his only consolation. Sitting in his favorite chair and staring into space, he listened to his lover's sobs and screams and kicks gradually fade into nothing, knowing that she was wearing herself out. It was easier that way. About an hour after he had let the team in, they came back downstairs. Myoga coughed to get his attention.

"Er, there were no finger prints, sir. Or any other kinds of DNA. No signs of forced entry and nothing appears to be missing or moved or even touched. Whoever it was hates the Higurashi girl, that's for sure."

Inuyasha nodded slowly, feeling drained and wanting to withdraw. "Take everything and have it replaced exactly," he murmured, thinking about the white room that was now mostly red. His angel's heaven had been turned into hell.

"Yes, sir."

He heard a couple of Myoga's lackeys tramp back upstairs a few times, bringing Kagome's carpets and furniture and bedding down and out the door. Inuyasha smirked, trying to find something good in all that mess. She would have to sleep with him for sure now. Sometimes she became unnecessarily (or, as he was just finding out, necessarily) paranoid and went back to her room to sleep, leaving him cold and more alone than he'd ever been.

Finally, they left, muttering their apologies and goodbyes. He sighed and stretched, not looking forward to his coming confrontation with Kagome. He hoped she'd be asleep. She hadn't been making any noise for a while and that both calmed and unnerved him. Inuyasha made his way upstairs and to his room as slowly and quietly as he was able to, using long-forgotten techniques he had employed only when hunting in the vast forests that no longer were. Moving the table he had used to barricade the door back to its proper place, he entered the dimly lit room. Kagome was crying, had been crying. The scent choked him. She was curled up on her side on the bed, her knees against her chest, hair covering her face.

Inuyasha approached her slowly, his heart beating so loud and so strong he was afraid it would burst. Sitting down next to her on the bed, he moved the inky tendrils of hair that hid her expression from him to the side with his claws. Her face was pale, except for around the eyes where her skin was red and angry-looking. He whimpered almost soundlessly and gathered her to himself, ignoring when she pushed against him and hit his chest. Her feeble blows only made him hold her tighter, which in turn made her cry harder.

"I hate you, Inuyasha," she said miserably.

Something in him snapped at the words and he felt his skin tingle with the rage that was rising up from deep in his gut, rage that existed before but had been dormant for a long time. Taking her chin, he sharply turned her head, forcing her to face him, to look him in the eye.

"Repeat that, Kagome," he said, his voice dangerously low. "You _what_?"

Her eyes filled with new tears. "I hate you," she said, stronger now. "You made me…" she sobbed, trailing off. "You're terrible."

Letting go of her chin, he pressed her face into his shoulder, smashing the delicate features into his much harder flesh. She gasped and tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. Her tears wet his shirt and their warmth made him feel sick.

"Hate me, huh?" he muttered, mostly to himself.

With a sudden strong movement, he pushed her down onto the bed. She was wearing no bra beneath the loose t-shirt she wore of his and her breasts bounced from the force. Too stunned to get up, she simply stared at him.

"You're the one who started this, Kagome," he said menacingly, his fingers going straight to her nipples and pinching them harder than he had ever dared in the past, making her cry out. "I guess that means you think you can end it."

"I didn't start anything!" she screamed, trying to move away. He pinned her with the anger in his gaze and she stopped moving, instead going completely rigid.

"Really?" he said, amused, still plucking at a nipple with one hand while the other teased her uncovered core. "It wasn't you begging me to fuck you all those times? Touching yourself every night, whispering my name. Trying to make me jealous with that stupid boy, then parading about in slutty short skirts."

Her eyes went wide. Kagome had never told him about her solo sessions and he smirked at her tortured, embarrassed expression.

"You bastard!" she hissed.

Inuyasha moved his fingers faster, the knowledge that she was responding to his unloving touch against her will sending dark flames throughout him.

"You hate me now, right? Even after everything I've done for you," he said dangerously, his anger building the more he spoke, his touch becoming rougher with each word. "I bought you everything, took you to school and back every fucking day, touched you just how you liked it before you even knew how you liked it. And you hate me? I guess you really are a whore, then."

He withdrew his fingers from her, just as she was on the verge of what was sure to have been a fabulous climax.

"No, no!" she screamed wildly, shaking her head, whether in opposition to his words or the absence of his touch, he didn't know.

"I'm going for a run," he said with a grunt, noticing somewhat absently that his hands were trembling just the littlest bit.

"No! D-don't leave. Please don't leave me," she sobbed, still flushed and on her back, legs spread.

Inuyasha knew he had gone too far and he hated himself for what he had done to the frightened girl below him. It had taken him by surprise how much her words had hurt him, and for the first time he had touched her without gentleness, without devotion, without love. Turning his back to her and preparing to leave, he felt Kagome press her naked chest to him. Glancing at the end of the bed, he saw the t-shirt she had been wearing looking crumpled and sad where she had thrown it. Her arms wrapped around his middle and her face was pressed to the back of his neck. He could feel her nipples poking through the curtain of hair that ran down his back. Her tears dampened his mane and touched his skin, making him shiver.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Don't leave me alone here. Not after everything. Please, Inuyasha."

Placing one hand on both of hers that were clasped around his abdomen as though trying to prevent him from getting up, he turned to her.

"Kagome," he said gently, finally seeing how miserable she looked. "Don't cry. I-I'm sorry I said those things to you. It's just—the look on your face when you said that, it just made me feel… Ugh," he sighed in disgust, not for the first time cursing his lack of verbal communication skills. "It feels like it's much easier for you to hurt me than it is for me to hurt you. It's never been like that before for me. I'm sorry."

Inuyasha wiped her tears and kissed her, wondering how she cried all the time yet never needed tissues. He never heard her sucking in snot, either. She was really his own delicate little angel.

Throwing her arms around him, she said firmly, "I need you in me."

Her demand took him by surprise. Was it because he had built her up only to leave her unfinished? He knew he'd be practically forcing himself on her if she had dared do the same to him.

All the same, he said, "No, Kagome. You've had a very shocking night. It's time for sleep."

She hit him lightly on his chest with one of her fists. "No! Inuyasha, I love you," she said seriously, almost gravely. "And you're the only person who's ever loved me. I need to be with you in that way to feel alright again. I won't be able to stop thinking about everything and wondering if you still want me unless you take me right now."

"Kagome," he breathed, defenseless as always when she told him she loved him.

Holding out her arms to him, she whispered his name and he found himself laying her down across the bed, entering her already prepared body. "I love you," he moaned, over and over until he couldn't say the words anymore, only feel them.

Afterward, they lay together, her drowsing on his chest as always. Inuyasha always placed Kagome right above his heart, as he was something of a romantic although he never vocalized his poetic thoughts or drew attention to his few sappy actions.

"Oh! Before I forget…" Kagome mumbled sleepily, reaching out and rooting around under the pillow on what she called her side of the bed even though she never slept there.

"Here!" she said, handing him a necklace. The beads were made of glass, blue and white. She placed it over his head, careful of his ears, and he immediately shuddered from the not entirely unpleasant cold feeling of it around his neck.

"What's this?" he asked lazily.

"Your gift," she said, kissing one bead. "I'm taking glass blowing as an elective and I made this necklace for you. It took me months."

Suddenly, the piece seemed much more interesting to him and he picked it up between two fingers, examining it. "These are very well done," he said, resolving to praise her more when her face lit up. "They look professional."

That earned him a kiss. "I've been practicing for months. I think I made enough beads to carpet the ocean floor."

"I love it," he said, sincerely. "And I love you."

"I love you, too," she said with a laugh. Their fight was long forgotten now, the shocking scene in her bedroom a disturbing but distant memory. "Thank you for the best day ever."


	19. Commitment

***Song for the Chapter: Dominant by Emilie Autumn***

**Response to Chapter 18's "Guest" and "Fan and Critic": Thank you for your reviews! They were honest and you addressed your concerns without being mean, and that's admirable. I am not going to pretend that what they share here is a happy, healthy relationship, and I will not portray it that way. I really hope the other readers realize this but want to see things become right while also realizing that may well never happen. I don't want people to think I am glorifying an abusive relationship, because I'm not (at least, that wasn't my intention). Your reaction was exactly what I wanted to inspire with this, with a few tweaks. I want you to root for them even though what they have is far from perfect or good. They are both damaged people, and when damaged people come together, it's disastrous. **

**This version of Kagome **_**doesn't**_** respect herself. She has been neglected and controlled in turns her entire life, and she has never had a father, which, contrary to the popular belief of the day, does fuck a person up. This version of Inuyasha is a spoiled brat that never had a properly formed conscience. I agree, he should**__**be begging for her forgiveness and she shouldn't be throwing herself at him. But like I said, they're damaged, and damaged people react differently to things. Kagome wasn't so much "turned on" after he said all those terrible things to her as she was hurt, and when this Kagome is hurt, she wants to feel wanted again by the one who hurt her. Inuyasha wants to feel wanted as well after he did something horrible and the only sane thing for her to do is reject him and run. That wasn't some poor attempt at a fluffy make-up scene, that was me trying to show everybody that they have very real, very serious problems. **

**This story will only continue to get darker, since I wanted to do something dark and all sorts of messed up, and I would like you to stay until its conclusion, but I understand if it's too much. Hell, I reread what I wrote and **_**I**_** think it's too much. Some people might have thought I was exaggerating my warning in chapter one, but I don't think I did. I wanted this to be **_**wrong, **_**and for everyone to see that it's wrong except for Inuyasha and Kagome. That was my goal, and your reviews tell me I'm reaching it. This isn't one of those mushy gushy lovey dovey stories. It's not **_**slightly**_** taboo, it's **_**strictly**_** taboo (it's that line from Witchcraft by Frank Sinatra, I freakin' love the way he sings the word "taboo", just omg), and it is hecka weird and gross. It's basically porn with some super messed up themes and messed up players putting themselves in messed up situations. I would like to apologize for totally ruining these characters, though.**

**Thank you for telling me your thoughts. I truly value feedback of the kind you've provided and I would love to hear more from you both and anyone else who has something to say that goes beyond the regular "good update soon plz", but even that's cool too. =]**

**General Note: Sorry for writing an essay at the beginning of every other chapter, peeps, but I like to reply to reviews, especially interesting ones like these. Anyway, enjoy the update and try not to hate me too much! Heh. **

Their week of bliss ended when Kikyo came back from her romantic getaway with Suikotsu. Inuyasha and Kagome went back to awkwardly pretending they were barely friends. The tension was so great he felt as though he would implode or explode, whatever, whichever. Kikyo was conducting almost all her business over the phone, staying at home even more often than he was. He actually went back to work just to get away from her. Things with the company were going fine; he had managed it in such a way for so long that it could practically run itself for at least the next couple of years if he felt like it. They really only needed him there to sign off on things. The highlight of his day was seeing Kagome. He dropped her off and picked her up as usual, and even though she was almost completely silent during those times and then barricaded herself in her room immediately when they arrived at home, he cherished those moments. Just looking at her made him feel at peace, drinking in her scent, remembering all their hidden moments. And then they'd arrive at the house and that peace would fly out the window the minute she ran off and he was left alone with his wife.

It was a night like any other when all the unspoken tension reached a head. He knew Kikyo was confused about why he was being so distant, and her confusion made her angry. He was already angry, so that was a recipe for disaster. Kagome was in her room sleeping, forgoing dinner as she had so many times before. Her behavior worried him and he would have liked nothing more than to go upstairs and forcibly make her eat one or two things. Unfortunately, she was dead set on depriving him of her company and had made sure to lock her door and windows (he had checked them, repeatedly). With nothing better to do, he decided to actually talk to Kikyo, which would hopefully calm her down and make her stop being so snappy with him and Kagome and whatever unlucky bastards she conducted business with over the phone and Skype.

Inuyasha was leaning against the counter across from the refrigerator while his wife looked through the machine's contents for something suitable to eat. His grouchiness returned full-force. If Kagome were the one looking through the fridge, she'd prepare something from whatever they had and it would be great and she wouldn't complain about his intermittent shopping.

"You should really start to train Kagome, Kikyo."

Without stopping what she was doing, she grumbled, "To do what? Archery?"

"No, with her priestess powers crap," he said irritably. It should have been obvious.

Kikyo stood straight up and closed the fridge door in one fluid motion. She glared at him and snorted. "If she's so powerful then she doesn't need any help from me. She can just train herself."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Why are you so jealous of her? She's your daughter, your only child. You should be fucking proud."

"The girl may look like me, but that is the only proof she is mine. She is lazy and rebellious and without all the work I've done with her upbringing she would have ended up as just another whore on some street corner by now. Why should I be jealous of something like that?"

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. His hands gripped the marble counter so tight he thought he'd break it. "Some_thing_? Kagome? She is not a _thing_. Do you even know her at all?" he spat out, enraged. "At least tell me you love her, in your own cold and twisted way. You do, right? You have to."

She laughed and the sound made goose bumps appear on his flesh. "I have to do no such thing. She is my only heir, unfortunately, and I have provided for her. That is as far as my maternal feelings extend."

He remembered what Kagome had told him about the baby in the box. He didn't fault Kikyo for her decision, it was her right after all, but that could have so easily been Kagome, his reason for living. What had made Kikyo keep her first child, he did not know, but he was grateful.

"You— How can you? How can you hate her?"

One side of her mouth lifted up in what he thought was deranged amusement. "The fact that she looks like a product of asexual reproduction helps greatly. She was so greedy, even before coming into the world, stealing my appearance. She will steal my company after my death, death by the misery and strain she caused with all her selfish, willful ways." Her brows furrowed and her eyes blazed and she seemed very far away. "Tormenting me night and day with her idiocies, always demanding more, more, _more_. More food, more attention, more _blood_ and _sweat_ and _tears_."

"Stop!" he broke in, shaking his head. He was begging now, he did not want her to change the way he saw her. "You don't mean it, Kikyo, please stop."

That seemed to get through to her and her eyes lifted to his, slowly focusing, just barely. "And now she's stealing you," she whispered in a high voice that was so unlike hers.

He froze. Oh God, she knows. "I-I'm not— She—"

"You are her father now. She is stealing you away from your work, your life, your very sanity. And you allow it because you pity her. She is a curse. Your company will fail like Shikon and then she will absorb even your existence just as she has absorbed mine," the naked hatred in her eyes and voice dissipated somewhat. "I know you are fond of her and think of her as your own child, but just because she wears my face does not mean she is like me at all. She ruins everything she touches."

She didn't know. His relief was so overwhelming it left him dizzy, leaving him grateful enough to be generous with her.

"Kikyo," he said after taking a deep, calming breath. "I know that everything seems terribly difficult right now, but don't say those things. That's just the despair of your situation talking. I'm going to find you a doctor, a psychologist. Then you can work out these thoughts you've been having. Just imagine how bad you'd feel if Kagome had overheard you."

She laughed, short and cruel. "My body is in decay, not my mind. You think she doesn't know these things? I've been telling her all her life. Things like her need to know their place in this world. Just because she's inheriting a top company and prestigious position doesn't mean she's any less of a monster."

That was it. He grit his teeth together and approached her, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her as hard as he dared.

"Stop it! You don't know what you're saying!" he hissed, wanting to yell but being considerate of the girl upstairs.

She smiled brokenly and reached out a hand to touch his face, caressing him as gently as he had shaken her roughly. "Oh, I do, my love. She ruins everything. She destroyed my life and took even the broken pieces that were left over. She is killing me every day. I should have terminated the pregnancy right when I found out, had her ripped apart before she overwhelmed me, but I—"

Inuyasha slapped her, without even meaning to. Her head flew to the side and he stared at his hand. Kikyo tried to turn her head forward again and he slapped her once more, this time fully aware of his actions. He knew it was wrong and he hated himself, but he hated her more. There was a dark, itching feeling inside of him and he wanted her gone, out of his life and Kagome's. He felt like hitting her again even as his mind protested, and he raised his hand.

"Inuyasha, no!" screamed the subject of their conversation.

His head shot up and he saw her in the doorway, tears running down her face. How long had she been standing there? He had been so consumed by this new, powerful hatred for Kikyo that he had not noticed her arrival. Letting go of the hold he had on his wife's collar, he watched dazedly as she fell hard to the floor, silent and unmoving but still conscious.

"Mother!" Kagome sobbed, running past him without even bothering to glance in his direction. She knelt and flung her arms around Kikyo's neck, holding her to herself and shaking with the force of her tears. Kikyo looked at him over her daughter's shoulder, that same deranged amusement from earlier back in her eyes.

"See, Inuyasha? Do you see how she cries for attention even when she is grown and I have been struck down?"

He clenched his fists and fought the urge to rip Kagome from this beast and take her away, far away until all of their problems and obstacles faded into nothing.

"Mother, you can stay with me in my room tonight. I won't let him hurt you again."

His heart felt like it had been put in a very slow blender with very dull yet determined blades. Inuyasha longed to reach out and hold Kagome, explain to her why he did what he did, cradle her in his arms as she was now cradling her mother, but he could not even speak let alone move. The fear of having their secret discovered and the fear of her rejection were too great.

"Get off of me, Kagome. Inuyasha has hurt me far less than you have."

Kagome's sobs stopped from the coldness of her mother's voice and Kikyo roughly pushed her away, hard enough so that the girl fell backwards. Inuyasha caught her before her head hit the tile, holding her firmly and protectively in what he hoped appeared to be a fatherly way. Kagome did not protest his touch and he doubted she even felt him there. Kikyo stood over them, looking very thin and very tall and very sharp and very cold. Her features twisted in a sneer and she looked like she might spit at her daughter, but of course she didn't. No matter her emotions, Kikyo was never one for such blatant acts of indelicacy.

"I will be going to Suikotsu's," she announced, straightening her already straight black cardigan. "While I am gone, try and examine your actions to see how they led to the events of this night, Kagome. I will not have you blaming anyone but yourself for this."

She turned and glided out the door, shutting it noiselessly behind her. This seemed to bring Kagome out of her trance and she attempted to scramble out of Inuyasha's grasp, screaming, "Mother! Don't go. Wait for me, Mother!"

Kagome tried and tried to squirm her way out of his arms but Inuyasha would not give. He held her tight, drawing her back to his chest and embracing her. Her movements became more frantic and she took great sobbing breaths.

"Let me go!" she screeched. "Don't touch me. I need to go with Mother. _Mother_!"

Her legs kicked uselessly in front of her and he began to rock her gently in an attempt to calm her down, murmuring how much he loved her and how sorry he was into her now sweaty hair, knowing that she could not hear him over her panicked shrieks. She lunged backward, trying to knock him over, and when that didn't work she slammed the back of her skull into his face, actually managing to draw blood from where a fang pierced his lip. He cursed and shook her, not too hard, nothing like how he had shaken Kikyo, not allowing his grip to loosen, letting out a low growl. That seemed to do the trick and she gradually stilled, allowing him to turn her around and press her face into the crook of his neck. She cried for nearly twenty minutes, sobbing hard and nearly choking a couple of times, calming down as he stroked her back and nuzzled her hair with his cheek. He wondered at how one so young could possess so many tears. He had lived for several brutal centuries and he knew for certain that the pain she was experiencing in this moment exceeded the total amount of emotional suffering he had endured in his lifetime. His parents had loved him, and that love had carried over even after death, making him confident and secure. What was Kagome feeling? He couldn't even imagine.

The small girl in his arms stopped crying and only sniffled from time to time, her arms limp at her sides, legs curled around him. He continued rocking her and stroking her back as comfortingly as he was able and finally she brought her head up, her watery eyes boring into his.

"Why did you hurt Mother?" she whispered, her voice scratchy and slightly lower.

Inuyasha blanched. He had completely forgotten about that. He felt guilty for not feeling guilty about it, and he felt guilty that Kagome had witnessed his first (and hopefully last) act of domestic violence, but that was as bad as he could make himself feel about the whole thing, and that wasn't very much. However, his shame magnified a hundred times under her heartbroken gaze.

"How much did you hear?"

"…Everything," she whispered, a tear falling from each eye and migrating their way down her cheeks, racing each other to her neck.

He had hoped she had only arrived to see what he was now calling Kikyo's punishment. Knowing that she had heard everything the woman had said made him feel sick to his stomach.

"I'm so, so sorry, Kagome. I-I don't know what made her say those things."

"She's right, though. Look at me," she said, letting out a miserable laugh. "I'm evil. I did steal you." The tears were beginning to fall faster and he panicked, not wanting to again see her as broken as she had been just moments before. "All I ever wanted was for her to love me."

"Look at me, Kagome," he said sternly. "You did _not_ steal me from anyone or anything. I gave myself to you from the moment we met. I was born for you and you for me. You are _good_. You are _pure_. Not even I can take that away from you."

She kissed him, gently, lovingly, right on the spot where his fang had pierced his lip. It had already healed, but he could feel the bit of dried blood still there.

"I'm sorry I hurt you," she said, quiet and ashamed.

"It's nothing. I love you. So, so much." He kissed her on the corner of her mouth, feeling it tremble.

"Why?"

"Hmmm?" he said, distracted. In his mind he was mapping out the kisses and touches he would give her, recalling the different places and pressures that made her smile.

"Why do you love me?" she croaked, voice still rough from crying. "Is it because I look like Mother? Or do you just prefer young girls?"

"Wha— Hey!" Now she had gotten his full attention. "I'm not some heartless pervert. I wouldn't—"

"Do you even really love me?" she asked tremulously, her big eyes searching his face. "I can't believe this is the first time I'm questioning this. I'm so _stupid_. Why would someone like you love me? I'm nothing. Worse than nothing. It's just like Mother said—"

Inuyasha kissed her, holding her by the hair and tilting her head back, furiously probing her mouth. Kagome was working herself up into a frenzy, Kikyo's words nearly undoing all the work he had done on her heart. Pulling away, he glared at her as she tried to catch her breath.

"You are _everything_," he said hoarsely, his heart aching at her lost expression. "What do I need to do to prove it to you? I'll marry you tonight. Take you away somewhere far off. I can live with the disgrace. I can live without the money or anything else. You are _everything_ to me. But am I everything to you?"

Her eyes were wide, tears no longer falling but instead frozen on her face, clinging to her impossibly long and thick lashes. Her mouth dropped open in a shocked gasp. "I-Inuyasha, we can't—"

Untangling his hand from her hair, he muttered, "That's what I thought."

"Inuyasha—"

"It's okay, Kagome. You're young and I've lived a long, long time. You don't know what you want and I do. That's just the way it is. I just wanted you to know you're not the one who should be insecure. I'm yours forever." He tried to sound cavalier about it and failed miserably, his voice breaking towards the end and his ears drooping.

"I… I love you. But I'm scared. I want us both to be happy and not have to hide, but I don't know if we can ever have that. You and Mother are both subject to a lot of public scrutiny and she does love you. I don't know—"

"Your mother is sick, Kagome," he interrupted, not wanting to lie to her any longer. All loyalty to Kikyo had shriveled and died in him.

"I know she said some hurtful things, but that's no reason to call her that."

"_No_. Your mother is _sick_, she's ill."

"W-what? She's— What's wrong with her?" Her eyes had gone wide again and he could hear her heart beat speed up. Part of him regretted telling her, but now that he had let it slip he just kept going.

"Breast cancer. Inoperable. She only married me to make her company profitable again and protect it until you took over."

"No," she said, shaking her head. "No. That's— You're lying." Kagome had a wild look in her eyes and he mentally cursed Kikyo for everything she had ever done to the precious girl-child in his lap.

"I wouldn't lie about this, about anything," he insisted. "I hated keeping the truth from you and after tonight I had no reason not to tell you everything."

"But why didn't she tell me?!"

"She said something about wanting your last days together to be natural. If this is natural," he ranted, "then I have no idea why—"

Kagome started crying again, quietly this time, and he quickly grabbed her, putting her in the same position as before and comforting her yet again. She wound down after a few minutes and he idly wondered what time it was. He would keep her home from school tomorrow so she could rest.

"You know, Mother never comforted me like this. Not even when I was a baby."

He was surprised at how steady her voice sounded, and how empty. She seemed so calm and that scared him.

"Urasue told me that Mother used to leave me in my crib for days, only allowing her in my nursery once every five hours to check on me." Her gaze was dull and Inuyasha stroked her hair, only just holding back from demanding she come back to him from wherever she had drifted away to. "She said she snuck in once, worried because I had stopped crying, and she saw Mother standing over me with a pillow on my face. I never believed her, she was always kind of crazy and a drunk, but I don't know now."

"Kagome," he whispered, horrified. He didn't know what to say so he just held her tighter.

"Mother used to tell me stories about you. That was the only time I would ever see love in her eyes when she looked at me, but even when I was little I knew it wasn't for me, but for you. And I loved you too, because she did. I've loved you all my life."

Inuyasha murmured how much he loved her and tried to bring her head up so he could kiss her some more, then hopefully change the subject so he would not hear things that would make him want to murder his dying wife. Instead of complying with his wishes, Kagome burrowed her face into his neck and clung to the front of his shirt, the feel of her little fists grasping him so desperately making him melt inside from a thousand different feelings which when put together equal love.

"When she'd get angry," she continued, "she'd tell me about my father, about how I was her on the outside and the worst parts of him on the inside."

"Your father?" So Kikyo had lied to him about that "wild winter in Europe" shit, just as he'd thought.

"They were together for years before he broke it off right before the wedding. On New Year's Day, too. What a bastard," she said bitterly.

Everything in him came to a stop and all he could say was, "W-what?"

"He left her on New Year's. She was already pregnant with me and tried to tell him, but he wouldn't listen. He refused to speak to her."

"And when…when was this?" he asked shakily.

"Sixteen years ago. I told you, she was already pregnant with me." Kagome nuzzled her face closer into his shoulder and he stroked her hair robotically. He had not done the math before; why, _how_ had he not done the math before? But that was impossible! Even with the stories Kikyo told her daughter, it couldn't be true. There was always Onigumo. She had been with them both around the same time.

"How did your parents meet, Kagome?" he croaked out.

She sighed heavily. "Some dumb party for wealthy business people where everyone networks instead of having fun. You know the kind. She told me how she noticed him right away because he was wearing a bright red shirt and practically raping the hors d'oeuvres table, ignoring everyone who tried to speak to him or shake his hand. I really hope I'm not as alike him as she said."

Inuyasha couldn't breathe. He remembered that party. He had been slightly rougher before Kikyo had entered his life and tamed him, teaching him how to behave, her lessons remaining long after she had fled. It was a real Beauty and the Beast moment, he could almost see their montage now. Of course there was never any wild winter in Europe. That was so out of character, not that he had ever believed it. And she had once said how he reminded her of Kagome with his stubbornness. And on his first human night with her, when Kagome had mentioned how their hair was similar, and the violet-blue flecks in her eyes that matched the flecks in his…

But that couldn't be. It just wasn't true. But, then again, was it so hard to believe? The dates matched up and everything Kikyo had told Kagome seemed to indicate that— But no! He had not sensed or smelled any demonic blood in her. It was impossible. He had been drawn to her at first sight, drawn in a way unlike any other he had ever experienced. But was that love at first sight, as he had thought, or had he on some level recognized her as kin? No. If that were true, then he had taken her virginity in the same bed she was conceived in.

It couldn't be. The universe was not that cruel.

He heard Kagome gasp and he opened his eyes, not knowing when he had closed them.

"Inuyasha, you're bleeding!"

She touched her delicate fingers to his lips and he flinched, not out of pain but because of that small contact with her. He had bitten his tongue, hard, and his mouth was full of blood, some leaking out the corner from between his lips, which was what she had noticed.

"I'm sorry for complaining so much and for hurting you," she whispered lovingly, fingers tracing his lips. He felt bile rise up and he fought it down, turning his face from her and taking deep breaths through his nose. It was not true. It could not be true.

Kagome rocked her hips against his groin, startling him, and softly kissed his cheek, trailing her way down his jaw. He swallowed hard and nearly choked on all the blood he had forgotten he carried in his mouth, fighting the urge to look at her. Shifting slightly in his lap, he saw her remove her silky peach nightgown over her head and toss it behind her. She was completely naked now and his body was responding while his mind was close to bursting.

"Don't feel bad or sad or guilty about everything that happened tonight. I love you so much, I can't be mad at you. I understand why you do the things you do. Please look at me," she said softly.

His head turned without his permission and he saw all of her beauty. The lust and love he always felt when seeing her bare before him now made him nauseous. Her face leaned closer to his and he could not move, trapped by her gentle intensity and his own warring feelings. Closing her eyes, she kissed him sensually, somehow luring his tongue out into her mouth and sucking on it, slowly taking his blood into herself. Inuyasha moaned, guilty and disgusted with himself, and his hands drifted to her soft, naked rear.

"Take me now, Inuyasha. I want you so bad I can't wait for you to carry me to your bed. Do it as hard as you like, I'm so wet already."

"Ka—go—me—," he panted, beginning to forget why he was resisting her. She had been stepping up the dirty talk, knowing how it drove him wild to hear her say naughty things in her sweet, clear voice. Kagome was still a little shy, and although he knew she enjoyed him getting a little rough with her, she always acted like she was doing it just for him, not because she wanted it. It was always better when she got like this, and he could tell that after the fight earlier and their talk she was in a wilder mood, willing to do things she usually only blushed about when he brought them up. Sometimes, she showed her gratitude with sex, something he would never complain about.

Her hands tugged at the hem of his t-shirt, practically ripping it off of him in her hurry, and she licked her way down his front with her clever tongue, kissing his nipples teasingly and running her slim fingers up and down his abdomen. Noticing his lack of participation, which was obvious as he was usually on her and in control long before now, she doubled her efforts, sucking at the spot on his neck that always drove him crazy. When that only made him clench his fists, she smiled and placed a hand on his crotch, rubbing him through the rough material of his jeans. She pressed her lips to his, sucking on his lower lip and biting hungrily. He whimpered and wrapped his arms around her, not able to take it anymore.

She couldn't be, he couldn't be.

_And_, the dark part of his mind whispered, _so what if she is?_ Nobody would know but him. Kikyo would be dead soon enough, and she didn't know what he and Kagome did together. He already loved her, wanted her, needed her too much to let her go, even with the knowledge of something like this. That was it, they were already too steeped in their sin that stopping wouldn't make much of a difference. He could handle knowing as long as he had her by his side, and he would never tell Kagome. She wouldn't stay with him if she ever found out that he was really her father. She loved him, but not like he loved her. The knowledge would destroy her.

Growling savagely, he pushed her to the ground, this time not catching her before she hit it. She moaned in pleasure at his rough treatment of her and he pinched her nipples, turning it into an excited scream. Inuyasha bent down and sucked hard on the pink peaks, hearing her frenzied moans and gasps and humming a moan against her breast in return, every sound she made turning him on further, increasing his dark lust. He danced his fingers around her clit, teasing her and making her squirm.

"Beg for it, Kagome."

Her face scrunched up and she whined, "P-please!"

"You'll need to be more specific, my angel," he said gruffly, his mouth watering in anticipation yet leaving his throat dry, his fingers pinching her clit just to hear her squeal.

"Fuck me hard, Inuyasha!" she cried out, her face flushing beautifully, probably more in embarrassment than anything else, but he'd take what he could get. "Harder than ever before," she added in a humiliated whisper, turning her red face away from him and pushing her hips up.

"Yes," he hissed, sliding into her slowly and kissing her cheek. "Such a good girl, Kagome. My good girl."

He had said the words to her before, but now they took on another meaning and he snarled at his thoughts, pushing them away.

"I've always been yours," she whispered, brushing his bangs from her eyes.

His lust was cut through with a love so tender it nearly made him weep. Staring adoringly into her eyes, he kissed her gently on her perfectly plump lips. It couldn't be true. He would forget about it. And if it somehow was? That was okay, too. This girl was sent to save him and he was sent to save her.

It was difficult to fuck her roughly with such thoughts in his head, but he managed, holding her legs as far apart as they could easily go and then some. Her breasts bounced with each thrust and she kept eye contact with him, which she knew he preferred, although her gaze was cloudy with lust and her eyes shut with every particularly swift hit of their flesh. He groaned and panted loudly, watching the sweat collect at her temples. He wanted to taste it, so he did. Kagome was close, and that always meant that he was too. Inuyasha thrust into her wildly and her moans and sighs and gasps rose to a higher pitch, finally becoming a desperate, beautiful wail as she clenched around him tightly and squeezed his own orgasm from him. Collapsing, he laid his head on her breast, breathing hard onto a nipple. She shivered and he kissed the nub before withdrawing from her and rolling over onto his back on the cold, hard tile. He sat up, uncomfortable. How had Kagome been able to lay down there for so long? He looked down at her. She was still flushed and gasping, their mixed juices leaking out from between her thighs. Grabbing his discarded shirt, he cleaned her and the floor, making sure no trace of their passion remained.

Later, after he had carried her limp form up the stairs and situated them in their usual sleeping position, he said, "Hey. Are you still awake?"

"Mmmm," she frowned, eyes still closed.

"Do you, um, ever want to find your real dad?"

"No," she said sleepily. "Anyway, you're my dad."

"W-w-what?" he sputtered.

Kagome opened her eyes and tapped his nose playfully with the tip of her finger. "You know what I mean, _Papa Yasha_. You protect me and love me like a father should and also how a lover should. You're my everything too, Inuyasha."

He relaxed and kissed her softly. "Yeah. I love you so much, Kagome. Never leave me, no matter what."

"I don't think I could even if I wanted to," she murmured, drifting further into dreamland. Inuyasha lay awake all night, never taking his eyes off her. He would protect what was his and he would never, ever lose her.

No matter what.


	20. Wicked Games

***Song for the Chapter: Wicked Games by Coeur de Pirate***

"For the last time, Inuyasha, I am going to school!" Kagome huffed, irritable and adorable. He had wanted to keep her home today after their rather late night but she refused, going on about tests and studying and other stuff that he didn't care about in the least.

"Kagome," he whined playfully, dragging out the last syllable of her name. Getting angry would only cement her desire to leave. "We could have a lot of fun at home," he said suggestively, raking his eyes over her body with a purpose.

She raised an eyebrow, unaffected. "We had 'fun' all night and you woke me up with 'fun'. I'm all funned out for now. I've got important things to do today."

Inuyasha cursed his rather enthusiastic waking of Kagome that took place just minutes before. Seeing her curled up on him like that so innocently, feeling her naked body against his had just excited him to the point where he had forgotten his plans and ravished her. "Whatever, just let me drive you. Sure you're not tired?"

Holding back a yawn, she nodded and left to go get dressed, leaving him to lament his actions and pull on his discarded pair of jeans from the night before and a shirt he found hiding half under the bed. That done, he ran downstairs, not at all surprised to see Kagome already waiting for him. She was always quick in the morning, regardless of her level of energy. Seeing the sunlight in her hair brought out a tenderness in him, and he took her hand, surprising her, and didn't let go until they arrived at her school, kissing the tip of each finger before he let her leave. Just that was enough to make her blush and she hurried away, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before she disappeared into the sea of hormonal humanity that filled and surrounded the ostentatious building.

Deciding to go home rather than to work, he drove as slowly as he could, provoking many a driver to honk their horns and flip him off. One enraged commuter even threw a cup of coffee at his car, but he hardly noticed. All he could think about was Kagome. Didn't she see how terrible he felt when she left him for her stupid education? She was smart enough already. She didn't need strangers telling her what to think. He knew she still wanted to be a nurse, but that didn't mean she had to attend school every damn day. He had brought up homeschooling her but she was horrified, saying how she'd never get any work done and he would never let her go outside again. As true as that statement might be, he didn't want her to see him as another Kikyo, someone who would confine and repress her, thus his lack of an attempt to really convince her to stay that morning.

Pushing through the door he had left open, Inuyasha resigned himself to another day of staring at the door and waiting for her to return. Suddenly, hands gripped his face and turned it to the side. Kikyo had come back, he realized belatedly, her unwelcome scent invaded his sensitive nostrils. She pressed her lips to his, trying to force her tongue in his mouth. He gripped her wrists, his lingering traces of guilt being the only reason why he had not flung her from him immediately. He needed to respect her, in spite of everything. She had raised their child alone, after all. Even if he did not approve of how she had gone about bringing her up, Kagome was a good girl and he had to give her mother something for that, and that something might as well be feigned kindness covering up his barely restrained fury. He twisted away from her, trying to keep his face blank.

"Don't push me away, Inuyasha. I know you still want me."

"What the fuck gave you that idea?!" he growled, exasperated.

"You hit me. You stopped me. You didn't want to see me like that and you did what you had to in order to snap me out of it," she said eagerly, her eyes shining with energy and life in a way he had not seen since before they broke up. "Now I'm giving myself to you. I won't hold back like I did before."

"Get away," he said, keeping his voice low and steady, adding in an ounce of a threat for good measure. He dropped her hands. "I'm in love with—someone else," he finished, catching himself just in time.

Kikyo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "It's that bodyguard of Kagome's, isn't it? I was wondering why you'd choose a woman to do a man's job."

He had not realized she knew about Kagome's bodyguard. He himself forgot about her frequently. "No, Kikyo, it's not Sango. You don't know her." Technically, he wasn't lying. She really didn't know shit about her own daughter.

She said nothing, her glare filling the silence. "I see," she said quietly, breaking the long pause. "Then you would prefer that I leave?"

Inuyasha nodded, not looking at her. She had expertly covered the bruise he had given her with thick make-up, but he could still see it. Others would see it. Childishly, he wanted to ask her to hit him back, as hard as she wanted, as many times as she wanted, but he knew it wouldn't make either of them feel better and she would probably just end up hurting herself.

Kikyo left without another word, but he could smell her tears and almost feel her pain.

**O/\o/\O**

After spending about eight hours dicking around doing nothing, he was excited to see Kagome again. Inuyasha knew it probably wasn't healthy to just wait around for her all day, but he couldn't help it. He was in love, and it was better than ever. Nearly humming the entire car trip, he finally arrived at Kagome's school after an agonizing fifteen minute drive. She ran to the car as soon as he entered, which was their usual routine, but this time she did not have a smile on her face.

"Hey, did you tell Sango to leave?" she questioned, without even giving him a proper greeting.

His brow furrowed. "No, she was supposed to be with you all day today like normal."

"That's strange," she said, sounding concerned. "I was in line for lunch and asked her to get me a seat and she just disappeared. I thought you had called her away or she had an emergency or something. I looked all over and called her like a billion times but she never answered."

Inuyasha was now as concerned as Kagome was. Kikyo's face flashed in his mind, their conversation from earlier where she had detailed her suspicions coming back to him. He had thought nothing of it at the time. She was jealous, and that was too bad, but they were no longer really together so she'd just have to suck it up and deal. But he'd seen the way she'd treated Kagome, her own flesh and blood. What would she do to someone she had no obligations to, someone she thought threatened her position, what she'd worked to achieve regarding him? Kikyo was not as passive as everyone seemed to believe. Her emotions ran deep and strong. She was as capable of murder as he was, only she would justify it whereas he never even bothered to do that anymore. In his eyes, that made her much more dangerous. If she came up with what she believed to be a good reason for doing something horrendous, the deed was as good as done and she'd have that holier than thou attitude of triumph that made him want to roll his eyes and pretend to gag.

"I think we should go look for her. Let me park and show me where you last saw her."

She nodded and stepped out of the car, glancing around her worriedly. When he jogged back to her, she led him into the high school, which was empty but for a few depressed teachers and some lonely kids whose parents had not yet shown up. His nose was working overtime trying to pick up the bodyguard's barely remembered scent, but all he could smell was grease and perfume and sweat and sexual tension and stress and all those things that fill your average building full of teens.

"Sango!" Kagome called out desperately. "Sango, where are you?!"

Inuyasha wanted to tell her to shush but stopped himself, knowing it would hurt her feelings and she just wanted to feel useful. So he joined her, but in a much lower voice.

"Sango! I don't fuckin' pay you to run off!" he yelled, his fear for the fate of the young woman he had barely met yet been so impressed by increasing by the minute.

They went around and around the building, checking every classroom, even the gym. They asked a few burned-out looking teachers if they had seen the young woman but they just shook their heads and continued grading papers, irritated at being interrupted but so dead inside they couldn't even snap at the couple that broke their concentration. Inuyasha began feeling like he was in _The Shining_, expecting to see those creepy twin girls every time he turned into yet another hallway with flickering overhead lights, or that bloody bathtub lady whenever he opened a door. Kagome seemed unperturbed by the obvious horror movie potential of the building she spent all her days in, so he took the backseat for a while and let her lead him around.

Finally, the girl gave up, and he was somewhat relieved although he immediately felt guilty for feeling that way. She pushed through the double doors at the end of the building's first floor angrily, trotting down the stairs and onto the concrete sidewalk of the alley behind the school. Frustrated and close to tears, she threw up her hands.

"Where _is_ she? SANGO?!" she screamed, louder than ever before, loud enough to make him wish she had given him a warning so he could have covered his sensitive ears.

He heard a slight rustling somewhere near them and he froze, putting a finger to his lips and motioning for Kagome to stay still. She got the picture and kept her position, hands still in the air, eyes wide and scared. They waited, but the sound didn't come again. Instead, his nose picked up a faint whiff of a vaguely familiar scent, something he had smelled in person twice and after that only barely clinging to Kagome when she returned from school.

"Over here!" he called out, excited yet still apprehensive.

Kagome broke out into a grin, her mind not jumping to the worst conclusions like his was. He envied her innocence and loved it, vowing to keep her that way, to preserve everything that she was to the best of his ability. Inuyasha smiled at her gently, and held up a hand to stop her from coming closer. The smell of Sango, her bodyguard and friend, was heavy with fear and nearly covered up by blood and trash.

She was in the dumpster.

He carefully, quietly made his way over to the dumpster at the end of the alley. Its lid was down, which was strange since those monstrosities were usually open for the sake of convenience unless it was collection day, which judging by the relative lack of ripeness coming from the canister was certainly not today. He flipped up the lid with the edge of his claws, not wanting to leave fingerprints that would confuse his team. There she was, as he knew she'd be. She looked so broken and pained that he nearly grimaced and cursed at her fate, only holding back when he remembered Kagome, whom he would rather not tip off to the state of what he was pretty sure was her best friend. The attractive, muscular woman was not dead, but she might as well be. She was covered in bruises and her own blood, barely recognizable. Inuyasha could tell that both arms and legs were horrifically broken, the bone protruding through the skin and visible. A few of her teeth looked to be knocked out as well and he'd bet money on the fact that her spine and ribs were broken too. It was cruelty that whoever had done this had kept her alive, and he knew only a few people capable of that kind of cruelty who had a motive.

"Did you find her?" asked Kagome anxiously. Quickly, he slammed the lid shut again, flinching at the loud noise it made. He didn't want Kagome to see Sango like that.

"Uh, yeah," he said awkwardly. He stopped Kagome when she hurried to check on her friend, grabbing her around the waist. "Don't look. Just… don't look."

"Oh God," Kagome gasped, her tears already streaming. "Is she—"

"No."

Inuyasha held her to him and let her sob.

"This is my fault. _My _fault."

Making soothing sounds and rocking her from side to side by swaying, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He had become quite good at consoling Kagome since her tears were almost always his fault.

"Myoga, send a team and an ambulance. Kagome's body guard, um, ran into some trouble." He hung up without waiting for a response, just as he always did, knowing his servant would jump at the task with all his hundreds of years of experience. Silently, he picked up Kagome like one would a sleeping child and walked back to his car, feeling her fragile form with a clarity like never before, not even when they were one. She looked up at him from her cradle in his arms and he felt as fragile inside as she looked.

"Who could have done this, Inuyasha?" she whispered. "How could anyone be so terrible?"

He sighed. "Don't think that this is your fault, Kagome. If anything, it's mine. Your mother and I had a misunderstanding this morning and I think that this was the result."

Immediately, fire came into her eyes and Kagome came to Kikyo's defense. "Mother would _never_—"

"Your mother is capable of everything but goodness," he said shortly, growing tired with Kagome's hero worship of such a despicable person. "She's changed. She thought I was in love with Sango and then this conveniently happened."

Her lower lip began to tremble and her mouth turned down at the corners. "But—But we—"

"She'll never know about us," he promised vehemently. "I'll protect the secret. This will never happen to you."

That seemed to be all the girl could take and she said nothing as he placed her in the car and buckled her in. Kagome stayed unresponsive even as he kissed her lips, which he did only to test the waters. Obviously she was not in a mood for such activities and he dejectedly made his way to the driver's side, wondering if Kagome was completely disillusioned with her mother now or if it would take more effort.


	21. Offspring of Your Might

***Song for the chapter: Feral Love by Chelsea Wolfe***

**Note: Surprise, surprise, I've certainly lost a lot of readers after last week's developments. Apparently incest (even unproven incest) is only acceptable when it's two dudes. Anyway, it's just us dedicated perverts now. We are exactly at the half-way mark! Love you guys and thanks for sticking around! =D**

Kagome insisted on sleeping alone in her room and Inuyasha listened to her cry herself to sleep, not going in to hold her because he knew she would reject him even though he had nothing to do with the way Sango had ended up. Did she feel guilty that her friend was on the verge of death in the hospital and she was in a warm bed? He didn't know because she didn't feel like taking for once. Time both flew and dragged as he crouched outside her door, vaguely drifting in and out of sleep and his own jumbled thoughts.

What had happened to Kikyo? He shook his head, remembering when he had first seen her at that party all those years ago. She was wearing one of those little black dresses all women had but she made it look exceptional, simple though it was. He had dismissed her as a spoiled little rich girl at first, but she had turned out to be so much more. There was a lot of pain in her heart, pain at being shaped into something she had no desire to be yet had all the qualifications for. They were going to get married and he would have gradually taken on her responsibilities, leaving her to be free and normal, whatever she wanted to be, sacrificing his own wants for her happiness, which was also his own. Anything that had made her happy made him happy.

Sango's attack was most certainly her doing. The conversation they had preceding it could not be mere coincidence. Even after everything, it surprised him that he still reacted to Kikyo's pain. Inuyasha thought himself long immune to her emotions, which she had so rarely allowed him to glimpse. When she had walked out of his life she had made him hate her with a painful, sluggish intensity that he didn't think he was capable of. But now that she had come back, he found he hated her still, yet with none of that sick longing that used to accompany it. And then there was Kagome. He hated Kikyo because Kagome did not. He hated her because she had left with his child and never bothered to let him know. Sure, she had shown up to his office almost non-stop for a while a couple months after their break-up, but she obviously hadn't tried very hard because look at where they were. She could have just called or written or told Myoga or tried to find his new address. Waiting for over ten years and then guilting him into marrying her was the least efficient way of getting him to spend time with their daughter, although he did spend a lot of time with her, just not in the way Kikyo had probably been expecting.

Thinking of his relationship with Kagome left him feeling vaguely numb and sick, but not in an entirely bad way. It was as though he were just some doll stuffed plump with cotton candy. Light and airy but still solid in a nearly unreal way. He tried not to dwell on it too much, afraid of the small thrills he'd get which were worse than his initial terror and disgust. There was no part of her that wasn't his. None. If Kagome would let him, he'd like to fling their relationship in Kikyo's face, just show her what she had brought about. A small, only barely significant part of him had participated in his affair (sometimes there was just no other word) with Kagome because of how much Kikyo had hurt him. It was a twisted revenge, but he never would have gone beyond dreaming about it had he not genuinely cared for Kagome and felt sure she felt the same. Although sometimes he wondered about what was in it for her. She loved her mother with a fierce devotion, that was obvious, so what was she doing with him? He recalled their past conversations, when she had told him he was the only one who loved her. Was that all it was, all it took? All the unhappiness in her life was because of him. If he had maybe just let Kikyo in one of those times she had showed up at his office, they would have reconciled and he would have been there for Kagome as her father. He would not have let Kikyo be so severe with her and she would not have felt the need to be, not with him there balancing her out and making her more mellow. He would never have begun to love Kagome in the way he did now, a wrong way, even though some people (himself included, once or twice) said love could never be wrong. And she would have never loved him. The thought made his throat burn and he coughed quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping girl separated from him by only one door and loads of conflict.

The rising sun shining angrily in his eyes interrupted his train of thought and he squinted back at it, confused. He had somehow brooded over his relationship troubles the entire night like some kind of teenage girl. Inuyasha sighed. Kagome was rubbing off on him. Figuring it was safe to approach her now that she had cried herself out and Kikyo wasn't home, probably hiding in fear of him figuring out what she had done, he turned the knob of Kagome's bedroom door, trying to be as quiet as he could, grateful that it didn't squeak as so many other doors in the house did.

The sunlight was dimmer in her room and it still looked like it was barely dawn, the blue-gray light nothing more than a glow. She had kicked her covers off sometime during the night and was sprawled on her back, her nightgown hitched up around her thighs. The light turned her skin so pale and Inuyasha couldn't help but to reach out and gently run a finger up one slender limb, following the path of a ghostly vein. Kagome didn't even stir, too worn out from the roller coaster of stress and emotions yesterday. He grabbed her blanket and sheet off the floor, dragging them up over her body and climbing in next to her. Starting out with the barest of butterfly kisses, he pressed his lips to her skin, over and over again, just wanting to touch her. She was so soft, and a little chilly. He put an arm around her and pressed her to his chest, warming her with his body. She awoke slowly, snuggling into him and then realizing by degrees that pillows were not so solid or so warm. Even half-asleep, though, she knew it was him and murmured his name into his collarbone, her chapped lips brushing across his skin and making him shiver. And then full consciousness hit her.

"I-Inuyasha?! What time is it? Am I late? How's Sango? You've heard from the hospital, right? She's okay, right?" Her still sleepy gray eyes were darting around, searching his face, and her voice was scratchy and frantic.

"No word from them yet," he said calmly, which he could tell annoyed her. It wasn't like he had spent every day with Sango like she had, she was just a stranger to him. "It's about seven. Sorry I woke you."

She yawned. "It's okay, I've got to get ready for school, anyway."

He wanted to hit something in his anger but settled for just staring at her in disbelief. "You're kidding me. Please, please don't be serious."

"What? I have a test today."

"I don't give a fuck!" he yelled, surprising her and making her jump in his tightening embrace. "You're not protected. If you really want to go, I'll go with you."

Her eyes narrowed in a glare. "You will do no such thing. We're already around each other every second once I'm out of school, can't you just let me have a few hours to myself?!"

They stared at each other. He broke eye contact first. "So you're sick of me. Is that it?"

Kagome opened her mouth to speak but his cell phone chose that moment to ring. Mumbling a curse, he dug it out of his pocket.

"What?" he spat out, glaring at Kagome who at least had the decency to look mildly repentant.

"Good morning, sir," Myoga said pleasantly.

"The fuck do you want."

"You haven't been to the office in quite some time."

"Tell me something I don't know," he mumbled distractedly, watching Kagome put on her uniform.

"Well, your employees are getting a bit… out of hand."

"How so?" he asked, now slightly interested.

"There are rumors that the business is on the verge of a collapse. That Ms. Higurashi only married you to help it survive a few more years."

Inuyasha laughed at that, not bothering to correct his assistant on Kikyo's new surname and Myoga continued. "Some of our most valuable employees seem to have been swayed by this nonsense and are jumping ship. It would be best if you were to show up at least once a week to boost morale and put their fears to rest. I would suggest coming in today before this whole thing gets out of hand."

He rolled his eyes, hearing his most trusted employee's urgency in his voice. "Deal with it yourself."

Myoga lowered his voice. "Sir, I suspect there might be more to this than meets the eye. Ms. Higurashi's representatives from Shikon said that before there was anything wrong with the company, there were rumors. It started off small. Nobody knew who spread them and nobody could remember where they heard them. They lost a quarter of their workforce within a month. It was as though these people were brainwashed and they thought they had to leave the company or it would mean their death. It was mass hysteria and that only ended when you took over. Now it's starting here."

He suddenly remembered Kikyo and his promise to her. Now that his company was experiencing the same thing in the main office and most likely other ones as well, he'd have a chance to get a better idea of the situation and maybe nip it in the bud. But then again, Kagome needed him, even if she thought she didn't. Inuyasha was in a quandary. He had hurt Kikyo, physically and emotionally. He was hurting her without her even knowing it. If she knew what he did with her—their—daughter, she'd die. All he did was hurt her lately and he had promised to help. It was clear. He had to put his own petty feelings of anger and hatred aside and fight his wife's last battle, the only thing she had ever really asked of him.

"Fine. See you there." He hung up without another word.

Turning to Kagome, who was trying to appear as though she wasn't listening, he said, "I'm gonna have to take you to work with me today."

"Mother would know. She'd figure it out and everything would be over," the girl grumbled, rapidly running a brush through her hair and avoiding eye contact with him in her mirror.

"I have to go to work today and I'm not leaving you alone," he said, trying not to beg. He didn't think anything would actually happen to her, but he'd rather be safe than sorry.

"Just let me go to school, Inuyasha!"

"No! Not after what happened to Sango."

Kagome sighed in exasperation. "There are a lot of people there. Teachers and students. I'll be fine."

"Sango was there under those very same circumstances," he pointed out.

"_Sango_ stayed away from people. _I_ won't. Not today."

Abruptly, she pulled the brush from her hair, wincing when it snagged on a knot. Kagome walked back to the bed where he was now sitting up, pleading with her with his eyes. Her expression softened and she placed a hand on each shoulder, leaning in to give him one of her trademark gentle yet intense kisses.

"I'll be alright," she murmured against his lips, brushing her fingers across the front of his jeans.

His mind was going into that deliciously hazy place her kisses always sent him, but he tried to fight back. "If you got hurt, I'd never forgive myself. I'd never forgive you," he said insistently, giving in to his desire to kiss her again even as he realized he was being manipulated.

"I've got big lungs," she giggled. "I'll scream like crazy for help, and if nobody comes then I'll just start singing or something and eventually they'll run away in pain."

"This is serious," he scolded.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I know. But school is serious, too. You promised you'd let me be whatever I wanted to be, remember?" He nodded, feeling trapped. "Well, how can I be the nurse I want to be if you stop me from getting into a proper college? I've got tests in almost every class today. I can't miss."

Inuyasha touched his forehead to hers and held it there. He knew she didn't need to get into freaking Harvard to be a nurse. People even went to trade schools for that sort of thing. There were ads on the radio for it. A degree in six months or your money back! But this was important to her. "Okay. I'll drop you off and pick you up like usual. Just… be careful, alright?"

"Duh," she said with a smirk, an expression that reminded him so much of himself that he was left dizzy. He didn't even notice she was kissing him until she pulled away and ran down the stairs, smelling like triumph and sunshine.

His doubts about leaving her alone magnified the entire car ride, but now that he had given his word he did not want to break it and risk crushing her growing confidence. Before Kagome could jump out of the car, he grabbed her wrist, gently yanking her back towards him.

"Call me immediately if anyone even looks at you funny."

She rolled her eyes and leaned over, giving him one of her kisses that usually signified things were about to get hot and heavy. When she broke away, he stared at her in a daze, feeling slightly light-headed.

"Not that I mind or anything, but what was that for?"

She smirked and said, "I want you to miss me." She ran off without another look. Inuyasha watched her until he couldn't anymore, then sighed and started on his way to work.

"I already do," he muttered to himself.

**O/\o/\O**

The minute he walked through the door of Tetsusaiga's main office, he knew something was wrong. There were always at least a few people standing there to greet him. Now there was just Myoga. The entire aura of the place felt off, as if it was being pulled apart in a hundred different directions, and it was nearly silent even though he could hear people walking about, doing their daily chores. Where was the usual chatter? The laughter, the noises?

"How long has this been going on?" Inuyasha asked, his voice echoing.

"Around three days," Myoga answered gravely.

"There's a weird smell." He sniffed the air several more times, trying to figure out exactly what it was and where it was coming from. "It's fucking _everywhere_."

"Do you think that could be the source of our problem?"

"Probably. It's the only thing that's changed that I've noticed so far."

Myoga nodded. "I see. Then do you think you are able to find it or should we bring in the dogs?"

Inuyasha glared at him. "Dogs? Really?"

Shoulders slumped, sensing that his boss fully intended to do all the work himself, Myoga sighed, accepting that it would now take much longer to get to the bottom of the strange happenings.

"Alright. Then should I bring in some others, those we can trust? That would surely be more useful than just wandering about by ourselves."

"We're not gonna _wander_," Inuyasha scoffed, already starting out down the hall. "I can find where it's coming from."

His long-time servant rushed after him, wishing he hadn't told Inuyasha a thing.

**O/\o/\O**

"We've been walking for hours, Master Inuyasha! Don't you think it's time we took a break? Perhaps stopped for lunch?"

His words went unheeded as Inuyasha stalked the basement corridor. This was a section of the building that was rarely ever used for anything except storage, and then only once every few years. Cursing himself for not checking there first, as it was the ideal place for any funny business, he soldiered on, trying to concentrate on the strange smell which he was convinced was growing stronger. Finally, they came to the end of the hall, where the scent was strongest.

"You got the key to this place?"

Myoga nodded and pulled out a ring that had dozens of keys on it, all for the basement floor. How he knew exactly which one to use without even trying any of the others blew Inuyasha's mind, but then again the man knew the building better than anyone else, being that he'd spent almost every day in it for about eighty years. Turning the key slowly, so as not to make any noise, his hard work was ruined when his boss became impatient and literally kicked the door open, causing it to slam hard against the wall and almost all the way closed again.

The bare, cement room was lit with candles, tons of candles, the shadows they created surrounding a dark, hooded figure that appeared to be saying something quietly in a deep, dark voice, almost chanting, the ominous-sounding words in an unfamiliar tongue.

Inuyasha sniffed. Was that… cinnamon? Vanilla? _Scented_ candles?

"What the fuck is this and who the fuck are you?" he yelled. The hooded figure turned, startled out of his trance that was apparently immune to doors being kicked open loudly but not a voice, and Inuyasha immediately recognized his homely features. "The camera guy! Fucking shit, I knew you were more than just a perv."

Shrieking like a child, the little man in the baggy hoodie took a step forward and nearly tripped, the glass jar he was holding falling from his hands and breaking on the ground. A dark mist escaped from the fragments and formed a cloud. It seemed almost sentient, moving close to Inuyasha, who growled at it and took a swipe with his claws, then to Myoga who cowered by Inuyasha, then finally to the cowering human across the room. It shot over to him and promptly invaded his nose and mouth, disappearing instantly. The strange feeling and smell immediately disappeared. The man sank to his knees and coughed weakly before slumping over completely.

After a decent interval of shocked silence had passed, Inuyasha said, "Is anyone going to tell me what the _fuck_ just happened?"

"It's a poison spell," croaked the man on the ground. "I'm trippin' out, bro. Ah god, man, this wasn't fucking worth it. I can't feel my knees. Those fucking roller skates I bought are useless now. Shit, I hope this wears off by tomorrow."

"No one gives a fuck, nerd," Inuyasha sneered, grabbing him by the collar. "Myoga, turn the goddamn lights on. These candles are giving me a headache."

His servant did as asked and Inuyasha threw the nameless man into the wall, pushing on his shoulder and grinding it into the hard surface until he howled in pain.

"Now tell me what the fuck you were just doing and who told you to do it and why."

"I don't know. But I remember the guy this time," he muttered, his eyes shut tight.

"Get talkin'," Inuyasha said sharply as Myoga began blowing out all the candles.

"The guy showed up at my apartment like an hour after I first, uh, made your acquaintance. He asked if I had my camera, but it was like he already knew I didn't. He asked for his money back. I had already, um, invested it all. When I told him, he broke all the fingers on my right hand." The man held up his hand and showed Inuyasha his cast. "Then he called me a few days later and told me to come here. He kinda looked like a chick. Long black hair in a braid, tan skin, pretty mouth. Had a tattoo on his face, right on his fucking forehead. It was a purple cross. Fucker's hardcore, dude."

Myoga, already out of breath from blowing out nearly a third of the candles, gasped. "That is none other than Bankotsu!"

"And who the fuck is that?" Inuyasha asked exasperatedly, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible if only so he could stop touching the guy.

"The leader of a group of sadistic, evil men who work for Onigumo. They act as guards publicly, but their true purpose is to carry out his dirty work, including bribery and murder."

"O-Onigumo?" Inuyasha was stunned.

"Heavy on the murder."

"Hitmen? After Kagome? What the fuck does that bastard want with her?!" he yelled, shaking the limp man while directing his question toward Myoga.

"It's well-known that he still bears a humongous grudge against Kikyo for rejecting him. He has an insane obsession with destroying her. That must have only amplified after the two of you reunited and then extended to both you and her daughter. We cannot prove it yet, but he has hinted to various sources that he was the one behind the near-destruction of Shikon. He backed off because of Tetsusaiga, but now he's back at it. We thwarted his attempt at sabotage before it got too bad, thank goodness."

Inuyasha nodded, then turned back to the man who appeared to be almost asleep, his eyes crossing and uncrossing. "You. Why and how did you put those pictures and dog hearts in Kagome's room?"

"What the fu— I mean, uh, what are you talking about?" the exhausted man said, apparently trying to correct his behavior into a more acceptable form since his life was in a very irate man's claws.

"You weren't the one who trashed Kagome's room?" Inuyasha asked.

"I didn't do shit, man, I don't know where you fucking live. I just followed you that one time and you caught me and I've been here for a couple days with nothing but that creepy fucking jar and bottled water and lunchables to eat and I had to pee in the goddamn empty bottles and you caught me _again_."

Inuyasha leaned in and looked the man in the eyes, trying to intimidate him and succeeding. The man rambled on.

"Fuck, dude, I don't wanna be involved in you crazy bastards' business anymore. I've got a fucking cat to take care of, I can't do this shit. Let me go, you sick fuck!" the man yelled, becoming more agitated with each word he spoke. He began to thrash about, but it was no use.

Inuyasha barked out a short, humorless laugh. "_I'm_ the sick fuck?! You're the one stalking a teenage girl."

The man stopped struggling and glared at him. "At least I'm not fucking her, you fucking pervert!"

He grabbed the small man by the throat. "Give me your phone, the one you used to contact Bankotsu. Do it and I'll let you live." He sunk a claw into his neck, enough to draw a fat drop of dirty blood.

"Whatever, man. It's in my right pocket. We're cool, right? Right?" he laughed uneasily, shutting his eyes again. Inuyasha could smell the tears he was holding back. He didn't let go, afraid that if he moved he really would take the man's life. The smell of him, of whatever that black cloud was, was infecting his mind and making his head ache. Everything about this man irritated him. Oblivious to all this, the man continued.

"Sorry for what I said about you being a pervert," the man tittered nervously. "She's pretty hot. Sure, she might be a teenager, but that body ain't fifteen. And it's not like you're her real fath—"

Inuyasha twisted his neck and broke it with one hand while the other reached into the man's pocket and relieved him of his cellphone. Blood spurted from the man's nose and dripped onto his hand, its path slowed by the thick mucus it was coupled with. Inuyasha wiped it on the man's hoodie in disgust then dropped his body on the floor.

Tossing the phone to Myoga, he said, "Check all the numbers in there and get rid of the body. Call me if anything new or significant happens."

"Yes, sir. But…"

"What?" Inuyasha growled. He didn't have time for this.

"Are you any of the things he said?" the flea demon blurted out.

He smirked. "You mean am I fucking my wife's daughter who may or may not also be mine?" Myoga nodded hesitantly, glancing at the body lying crumpled against the wall. "Fuck off," he said with a sneer, walking out the door.

The sky was gray and it was pouring, although the sun was managing to shine through here and there. Inuyasha smiled, thinking of Kagome's eyes.

"Fuck," he cursed to himself, fumbling for his phone. It was five. He was two hours late to pick her up. He'd never been this late before. Hell, he'd never been late. She was his number one priority. He ran to his car and sped away from the building, arriving at the very congested freeway. The rain had caused several accidents. He hit his head against the steering wheel in punishment, hoping she had the sense to stay in the library and wait. After an hour of jockeying with other cars, screaming at other drivers with a level of road rage he had never experienced before in his life, even denting the bumper of his car on another and speeding off without a word before he finally arrived at Kagome's school. Her deserted school.

He ran, the rain splashing his face and getting in his nose, his eyes. Apologizing to Kagome in his head, he darted into the separate building that was the high school library. Literally into it. He had not expected the doors to be locked, but they were. Rubbing his hurt nose angrily, he ran back to the front of the school, panicking when he couldn't pick up her scent. He checked all the doors of the school, even the gym. Every single one was locked.

Kagome was nowhere to be found.


End file.
